Social media is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, and there are a few spaces that I am likely to leave in the next year or two. This is a difficult move for me, but it is necessary. I want to reflect on four years of Autistic and Living the Dream on social media.
When I first started out, I made a little logo on my phone. It is cheesy but makes me smile. I’ve ungraded since then, my current logo was designed by my husband and created by my friend David Gray-Hammond (Emergent Divergence).
I also created memes about my experience of being ADHD and Autistic. My page name was inspired by my consistent response to “How are you?” with a half-sarcastic “Living the dream, every day.” It was something I said for years.
Creating a name for your page when you don’t know what you will share is difficult. Some content creators change their names whilst they grow and change but for me, the name stuck. It reflects perfectly where I was as a very newly realised Autistic person sharing and understanding my experiences with the world.
My first breakthrough on Twitter was around the boycott of the Spectrum10K project. My hashtag #StopSpectrum10K was trending in the UK in September 2021 and helped me connect with other educators and advocates online. This was the start of my time with Aucademy an amazing online educational space led by Autistic people.
At the same time over at Facebook, I connected with Ausome Charlie in an LGBTQIA+ Autistic group. They asked if I wanted to write for AIM for the Rainbow and I’ve been there ever since! We met face-to-face for the first time at London Pride 2024, one of my favourite days this year!
Now I do regular work with Ausome Training and the amazing Autistic-led online magazine and CIC Autistic Revolution. I now have the resources to help and support others, not just with my stories but also with mutual aid. I have the privilege to signpost to newer creators and advocates, and I have so many friends and connections online.
If and when I move away from social media, these connections, memories and advocacy work won’t go away, they will simply change. I’ll text people more than I DM them. New work will come through word of mouth, not my constant online presence. I will still write on my website as it is such a joy to curate. I will however share more time with my family whilst still keeping my online family in my heart and mind. I’m not ready to leave social media just yet but when I am, I know you’ve all got me.
2 responses to “Reflecting on Four Years of Autism Advocacy Online”
Thank you for all you do. Sometimes we can take people like you and your advocacy for granted – but please know that even those lurking and reading like me, benefit by reading your work and learning from it. (I’m a mum with 2 rainbow Neurodivergent teens)
You’re most welcome. Thank you for your lovely comment. I’m proud to share my queer neurodivergent self with others, especially if it makes a difference to queer young people he’s their families.