“I’ve Become More Myself”: Challenges and Benefits of Engaging with ADHD Short-Form Video Content and Communities
Alex Tcherdakoff, Anna L. Cox, Jon Bird, Paul Marshall
Short-Form Video Content (SFVC) platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts have become important spaces for ADHD adults to share experiences. However, much existing research focuses on the challenges these platforms pose for ADHDers, including accentuating sleep problems and attention difficulties. This paper presents an interview study with 32 ADHDers who articulated a more nuanced relationship with SFVC. It explores how engaging with ADHD communities on these platforms impacted ADHDers’ self-understanding, emotional wellbeing, and both on- and offline relationships. ADHDers worked to maintain their agency in this attention economy, managing their experiences and intent through information seeking, self-regulation, handling misinformation, and curating algorithms. Findings are described under three themes: (1) Cultural Stigma and ADHD Perceptions Contextualise Engagement; (2) How ADHD SFVC Affects ADHDers’ Emotions and Contextual Behaviours; and (3) Broader Impacts on ADHD Relationships, Stigma, and Self-Perception. Challenging existing narratives, this work highlights the value of these communities for ADHDers.