Weatherwax, K. (CM) – LoFi to X and Y: Background Media Use as Colloquial Assistive Technology for Neurodivergent People

Research in media psychology has often framed background media as a distraction that undermines performance. Such perspectives rely on narrow, output-oriented definitions of success and overlook the emotional, mental, social, and environmental needs that shape how people actually work. They also fail to account for neurodivergent experiences, ignoring the diverse ways people engage with media in daily life.
  

This dissertation uses a critical disability and neurodiversity lens to examine background media, with a focus on LoFi as a commonly used exemplar, as a form of colloquial assistive technology. Drawing on interviews and large-scale online discourse, I show how LoFi is not primarily used to increase productivity, but to manage affect, sustain attention, and reduce cognitive or sensory overload. Users describe it as a supportive presence—helping them transition into work, recover from fatigue, and feel accompanied in otherwise isolating contexts.
   
These findings challenge dominant narratives about distraction and media use. Rather than being passively consumed, background media is deliberately shaped and adopted as a source of support. This work rethinks what counts as assistive technology, foregrounds the self-directed practices of neurodivergent people, and offers design directions for systems that legitimize and extend such strategies.

Event Host: Kevin Weatherwax, Ph.D Candidate, Computational Media 

Advisor: Kate Ringland