"I Upload...All Types of Different Things to Say, the World of Blindness Is More Than What They Think It Is": A Study of Blind TikTokers' Identity Work from a Flourishing Perspective

TL;DR

This study explores how blind TikTok users actively engage in positive identity work and community building through platform affordances, emphasizing the importance of supporting their flourishing labor for inclusive design.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of flourishing labor to describe blind users' identity work on TikTok and highlights the need for stakeholder support to foster their flourishing.

Findings

BlindTokers create positive content to share identities and build community.

Flourishing labor is essential for the well-being of blind users on TikTok.

Support from stakeholders enhances blind users' flourishing and platform inclusivity.

Abstract

Identity work in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has focused on the marginalized group to explore designs to support their asset (what they have). However, little has been explored specifically on the identity work of people with disabilities, specifically, visual impairments. In this study, we interviewed 45 BlindTokers (blind users on TikTok) from various backgrounds to understand their identity work from a positive design perspective. We found that BlindTokers leverage the affordance of the platform to create positive content, share their identities, and build the community with the desire to flourish. We proposed flourishing labor to present the work conducted by BlindTokers for their community's flourishing with implications to support the flourishing labor. This work contributes to understanding blind users' experience in short video platforms and highlights that flourishing is not just an activity for any single Blind user but also a job that needs all stakeholders, including all user groups and the TikTok platform, serious and committed contribution.