Social media use practices through symbolic interactionism: Disabled people's TikTok experiences and self-presentations

With the development of communication and Internet technologies, the dynamics of daily life are also undergoing changes and transformations. Along with these changes and transformations, communication is becoming digitalized, and the use of social media platforms is increasing. The interaction opportunities provided by social media platforms are altering the communication experience. Social networking sites, which are an important part of this experience, offer individuals an environment independent of time and space, enabling bodiless interaction. It is possible to speak of the construction of a more visible disabled identity in the digital space through social media platforms. One of the platforms where this identity construction takes place is TikTok. The main problem of this study is the question of how disabled individuals construct an identity and present themselves through the TikTok platform. In this context, the primary aim of the study is to understand how the discourse of the "ideal body" shapes the TikTok usage practices of disabled individuals and how this discourse is reflected in the daily life practices transferred to TikTok. The TikTok profiles of sixteen voluntary participants, determined through purposive and snowball sampling methods, were examined through digital ethnography, and in-depth interviews were conducted to focus on participants' experiences. The observation and interview data obtained were analyzed with thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the perception of the "ideal body" plays a significant role in the construction of a disabled identity on TikTok. It was observed that participants faced social exclusion and marginalization in both their TikTok interactions and real lives due to their disabled identities. As a result of their experiences, it was found that the self-presentation of participants on TikTok involved constructing a disabled identity that is strong, capable of achieving everything independently, and driven by the desire to serve as an inspiration to others. Keywords: Symbolic interactionism, Daily life, Disabled, TikTok, Digital ethnography