Why I, an autistic person, do not like the phrase "info dumping": 🧵
According to Dictionary[dot]com, info dumping is providing a large quantity of backstory or background information all at once. It is a slang term that almost always has a negative connotation.
The term has no clear origin but may originate from copy/paste responses online.
The term has no clear origin but may originate from copy/paste responses online.
Most recently, info dumping is used to describe autistic individuals when we talk about our special interests.
Apparently, we don't share our passions. We don't describe our passions. We don't teach about our passions.
We info dump.
Apparently, we don't share our passions. We don't describe our passions. We don't teach about our passions.
We info dump.
Yes, there are times & places when I share my special interest for long periods of time.
Yes, there are people who don't want to listen to me talk about my SpIn for an hour or more.
But there's a neurotypical social power dynamic going on here:
Yes, there are people who don't want to listen to me talk about my SpIn for an hour or more.
But there's a neurotypical social power dynamic going on here:
I've heard it said that people won't tell me to stop talking about my special interest because they don't want to hurt my feelings.
So instead of just asking me to stop, they made fun of me, called me and my "info dumping" annoying behind my back. Regardless of my feelings.
So instead of just asking me to stop, they made fun of me, called me and my "info dumping" annoying behind my back. Regardless of my feelings.
I've found that info dumping isn't always about those one hour special interests share alouds. If autistics talk for 10+ minutes about our special interests but do this multiple times over a series of hangouts, we're often automatically considered info dumpers.
Sometimes, I see autistics make self-deprecating comments about so-called info dumping.
The truth is: We're being shamed for our monotropic brains. We're being shamed for our passions. We're being told we are inherently bad.
And we're being encouraged to internalize that shame.
The truth is: We're being shamed for our monotropic brains. We're being shamed for our passions. We're being told we are inherently bad.
And we're being encouraged to internalize that shame.
Here are a few slides from my most recent IG post about the importance of special interests for autistics: 
And for more information about autism and monotropism, check out these slides:
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