đź“Ł Autistic Creators Speak Out

CREATOR ECONOMY NEWSLETTER


Many neurodivergent creators use social media platforms to combat stigma and spread awareness around their lives. Hashtags like #autism, #autistic, and #neurodiversity gained billions of views on platforms like TikTok in recent years.

However, while TikTok has been a place of great representation and community for neurodivergent creators, it’s been a double-edged sword. As Passionfruit contributor Charlotte Colombo explains this week, oftentimes autistic creators’ comments sections are flooded with viewers babying them and gushing about how “adorable” they are.

Colombo also explores how this infantilizing gaze applies to the significant number of accounts that are dedicated to an autistic person’s life but are controlled by a parent, partner, or caregiver. She shares why she thinks these portrayals are problematic and also shares the perspectives of many creators and social media users fed up with infantilization on the platform.


THE HIGHLIGHT

The infantilization of autistic people on TikTok needs to stop


ONE GREAT TIP


TIPS AND TRICKS

​​TikTok star Evan the Card Guy shares how he hooked 16 million followers

“I started doing what I like to call interactive magic or interactive content.”

By Grace Stanley, Newsletter Editor


TOOLS REVIEW

woman holding chips up to microphone in front of pink background ASMR

How to make tingly brain-massaging ASMR videos

There’s never been a better time to get started making your own.

By Rachel Kiley, Passionfruit Contributor


IN THE BIZ


TIKTOK MADE ME DO IT

Content for Creators.

News, tips, and tricks delivered to your inbox twice a week.

Newsletter Signup

Latest Newsletters

  • In the Wake of Kast Media’s Crumbling, Smaller Channels Take Heaviest Hits

    In the Wake of Kast Media’s Crumbling, Smaller Channels Take Heaviest Hits

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #170 | Sept. 21, 2023 If you haven’t heard the news about Kast Media and why we are all so very angry at them, it’s not because you’ve been living under a rock. It’s actually the opposite: If you haven’t been hearing about the podcast ad agency that made millions on multi-year…

  • Red-Pilled Children in Trucker Hats

    Red-Pilled Children in Trucker Hats

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #169 | September 19, 2023 Yesterday, I had the unfortunate luck of setting my eyes upon a viral clip of a fan meet-and-greet gone wrong with a notoriously transphobic, YouTube-banned, self-proclaimed Red Pilled Rumble streamer known as “Sneako.” In the video, three little boys (probably around 12 years old?) dressed up as…

  • Maher’s Attacks

    Maher’s Attacks

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #168 | September 14, 2023 Sorry guys, newsletter went to print super late today; had some emergency medical issues today. Don’t worry about it, I’m fine, but the regularly scheduled programming of why the striking writers’ unemployment benefits should be a goal for creators and what that might look like will have to…