Narrative Prosthesis: Social Media and Disability
To begin with, the term Narrative prosthesis is derived from David Mitchell’s book about disability as a narrative supplement if films and novels. It refers to the ways in which the bodies of disabled persons are deflected onto an able bodied normalcy, of which then reinforced by the text. Another related term for this is ‘inspiration porn’, which refers to the use of images of disabled people to exclaim their greatness for simply existing and going about their daily lives. Additionally, as a method of guilt tripping able bodied persons to try harder. Hey, if a disabled person can compete in the Olympics, then whats your excuse…right?
If you are a frequent user of social media, then you have most likely come across a similar post as the one below:
Images like this have become quite a strange phenomenon on social media. And I have to admit, I was once ignorant to the effects of posts such as these. So this is not to call anyone out, but rather, to shed some light on how the spread of such images of disabled people contributes to the objectification of disabled bodies on both social media and in real life. Oftentimes, they also contribute to microaggressions, which not only affect disabled persons’ ability to perform fully in everyday life but also has a negative impact on their mental health.
- Now, I am all for representation. It is great that people want to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of disabled people, whether it be on social media or in real life. However, there is a major problem when these accomplishments are accompanied by phrases such as “whats your excuse”, “if they can do it, so can you?”. This shifts the dynamic between the spectator and spectacle, by transforming disabled bodies into tools for lifting up and inspiring able bodies persons to achieve more. Not only do these images perpetuate the narrative of able bodies as the norm, their rampant spread across social media have created new ways to stare at disability that registers the perception of difference and marks them as deviant.
2. Another reason that such images are harmful is that they create social isolation. In her TEDTalk titled I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank you Very Much, Stella Young speaks of the way in which disabled bodies are used as objects to inspire. And only that. Most often, to live with a disability is regarded as an exceptional thing, rousing such remarks as “you’re so brave!”, “well done you, you managed to achieve [insert ordinary activity deemed only achievable by able bodied persons]”. If you normally would not congratulate an able bodied person for putting on some clothes or doing their shopping, then think harder about why you would say that to a disabled person. What this achieves is objectifying disabled people for the benefit of non disabled people. That is, making able bodied people feel good about their lives while reinforcing the difference in the societal standards set for disabled people and able bodied, non disabled people. It sets the bar very low for what disabled people can achieve, which is the very opposite of inspiring someone.
3. Another very important factor is the ways in which these images prescribe the overcoming narrative, wherein, the disabled person overcomes their disability and achieves a once impossible task. But it also important to note that not every person who is disabled is suffering, and not all aim to achieve the normalcy that is prescribed by society. Therefore, what the overcoming narrative achieves at most times is reflect the fears of the wider society about disability onto the bodies of disabled people.
This is an ongoing issue that the University of Leeds is trying to tackle. Through the launch of the Online Reporting system, which will allow many students to report issues of hate crimes and online harassment, which is inclusive of microaggressions and the devaluation of disabled bodies.
