From Villains and Victims to “we have all the power”. How disability advocates are reclaiming their power and challenging norms on social media.

Abstract: Disabled people have a long history of being excluded and treated as the “Other”, as well as being portrayed in films and on TV using negative tropes such as The Villain and The Victim. When one’s identity has been excluded or misrepresented in entertainment media, social media can also be used as a form of self-representation. Social media has become an integral part of society, and is used by many people as an activist tool, to organise protests, participate in global solidarity and educate about specific topics. This thesis explores the ways in which disability advocates are using social media in order to challenge societal norms about disability. Using qualitative surveys, I assess how disability advocates are using Instagram to appropriate the representation of their lived experiences of disability and chronic illness, as well as spreading awareness about both the challenges and joys of being disabled. The study indicates that Instagram provides a space where disability advocates have the power to tell their own story and challenge societal norms about disability. While Instagram is not without fault, and can also amplify certain inequalities, it provides content creators the opportunity to challenge normative ideas about disability that have been pushed by more traditional forms of media.