Out of sight, out of mind?: revisiting an illustrative case study on ‘below-the-radar’ communication in secret Facebook groups

While most social media research has focused on public aspects of use, a<br/>more recent research agenda has turned its attention to non-public media<br/>spaces as an important yet overlooked part of the social media landscape<br/>(Boccia Artieri et al. 2021).<br/>This paper expands the argument into disability studies. It revisits an<br/>illustrative 2014 case study examining the use of secret Facebook groups to<br/>navigate the intersection of disability and welfare services in Denmark.<br/>Based on interviews with 19 participants, it illustrates how specific forms of<br/>information and social support are central. At the same time, topic negativity,<br/>fatigue, health issues, and surveillance apprehension may limit sustained<br/>participation and activism.<br/>This paper contributes to the research on disability and social media by<br/>highlighting uses and dynamics that may be overlooked when studies<br/>primarily focus on public platforms and visible forms of disability<br/>communication.