Is social media healthy for autistic people? What is life like for autistic creators? What platforms are the most positive or toxic? How can you manage your social media use? In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas Henley talks to Andy from the Indie Andy YouTube channel - a great example of a channel for the community, from the community. Andy uses his own experiences to create informative videos about autism, and to work with organisations that raise public awareness. Kicking off the chat, Andy tells us about the 1st episode of 'The Unmasked Podcast' where he talked to Connor Ward about the creator:viewer divide. He shares his high school experience of being bullied and struggling to find a suitable school. In a more positive spin, they both highlight the importance of lived experience in driving their advocacy work. Although the creator experience is a positive story, it presented an array of challenges and hurdles for the two to overcome. Getting that work:balance is hard when media work isn't your only responsibility! Since its inception, certain platforms been criticised by the press for being an envy-mongering, narcissistically-driven, and attention-sapping machine of malice. Concepts like FOMO become common place in a world that is based on perfectly polished snapshots and rosy coloured life biographies. The animosity and reactivity found in other sites can provide an easy avenue for people to enact their darkest intentions. Social media opens many doors for autistic people, but it can also be a force of negativity and hate. In this digital age, It's hard to neglect the impact social media has had on the lives of many individuals. At the epitome of social media's positive reach, platforms allow lonely and isolated people to connect with those out of their local vicinity. Communities create informative, wholesome and collaborative pieces of work to improve autism awareness and add to the ever growing body of experiential knowledge. These resources offer a new path to self-discovery, and on a more individual note, a method of distraction to cope with the stressors of everyday life. Whether it's expanding your exposure to a variety of opinions, tactical unfollowing, turning off notifications or taking a more personal approach to messaging... there is surely something for YOU in this podcast! If you have an exciting or interesting story and want to appear on the next podcast, please contact me at: [email protected] Andy' Links:- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indieandyuk/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/IndieAndy Podcast - https://anchor.fm/theunmaskedpodcast ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Support via Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/aspergersgrowth Social Media ♥ ☼ Facebook - Aspergers Growth ☼ Twitter/Instagram - @aspergersgrowth ♫ Track: [Chill Music] Ikson - Reverie [No Copyright Music]