Scars Among Screens: Understanding the Digital Lived Experiences of Acid Attack and Burn Survivors Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA)

Abstract

The digital experiences of individuals with acquired facial differences remain underexplored even with the transformation of the way identity is constructed and performed in social media. This qualitative study explores how acid attack and burn survivors navigate digital beauty standards, online disinhibition, and identity negotiation on social media. Drawing on a social constructionist epistemology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven survivors recruited through the Chhanv Foundation in India. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). The analysis generated four themes: (1) Constructing 'Authenticity,' where survivors frame unfiltered images as a moral stance against deceptive beauty norms; (2) Safety as Strategy, detailing how survivors manage the ”digital stare” through strict withdrawal or performative humor; (3) The Discursive Reconstruction of Identity, examining the tension between the empowering ”warrior” label and the desire for ”normality”; and (4) Mediated Kinship, revealing how digital communities replace traditional family structures as primary sites of care. The findings suggest that for survivors, the digital realm is a ”hyper-reality” where visibility is a high-stakes negotiation of agency. The study concludes that digital interventions must pivot from safety-centric to agency-centric models to support survivors in reclaiming their narratives.