Social Media and Stuttering: A Meta-Qualitative Synthesis of Representation and Impacts

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to explore how stuttering is represented across various social media platforms and the resulting impact on people who stutter. Social media has the potential to support people who stutter by fostering positive self-perceptions and community but can also perpetuate negative stereotypes and misinformation. Method: Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines—which promote transparency and rigor in systematic reviews—a comprehensive search was conducted across Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus for studies published between 2004 and 2024. Out of 86 identified articles, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, including both human participant studies and content analyses. Data were synthesized using a qualitative meta-synthesis approach to explore themes related to stuttering representation and its effects on people who stutter. Results: The review found that platforms such as Instagram and Facebook often promote positive narratives that support self-acceptance and community among people who stutter. However, platforms such as X (Twitter) frequently perpetuate negative stereotypes, using stuttering as a metaphor for incompetence. Additionally, there is a significant gap between the confidence people who stutter gain from online interactions and their real-world communication experiences, highlighting challenges in translating digital confidence into offline contexts. Conclusions: This review underscores the complex role of social media in the lives of people who stutter, offering both opportunities for support and risks of perpetuating negative stereotypes. Integrated support systems that bridge the benefits of online and offline resources are necessary. Future research should focus on underexplored platforms such as TikTok and Reddit and address the experiences of younger people who stutter and non–English-speaking communities to enhance understanding of social media's impact on stuttering.