Unveiling Technorelief: Enhancing Neurodiverse Collaboration with Media Capabilities

TL;DR

This paper explores how digital media can provide 'technorelief' for autistic workers, helping them manage sensory overload and improve collaboration in remote work environments.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of 'technorelief' as a way digital media supports neurodiverse workers, based on qualitative interviews.

Findings

Digital media filter environmental input, creating a virtual space for autistic workers.

'Technorelief' helps autistic workers regain control and improve their collaborative experiences.

Digital tools can reduce sensory overload and enhance remote collaboration.

Abstract

As the workforce settles into flexible work arrangements, researchers have focused on the collaborative and psychological consequences of the shift. While nearly a fifth of the world's population is estimated to be neurodivergent, the implications of remote collaboration on the cognitive, sensory, and socio-affective experiences of autistic workers are poorly understood. Prior literature suggests that information and communication technologies (ICTs) introduce major psychological stressors. Theoretically, these stressors ought to be exceptionally straining considering autistic traits $\unicode{x2013}$ yet, studies describe a strong attraction to ICTs. We thus ask: how do digital technologies alleviate autistic workers' experiences of their collaborative work environment? Thirty-three interviews were conducted to address this question. Findings suggest that digital media present capabilities that filter input from the environment, turning it into a virtual stage that lets workers "time out". The resulting "technorelief" enables autistic workers to tune into their perceptions and regain control of their collaborative experiences.