A Space of One’s Own? The Tensions of Being Visible on Instagram for Turkish Female Athletes

Abstract

In this study, we seek to understand how Turkish female athletes who are active on Instagram experience cyber violence, the cultural context of that violence, and the ways in which athletes negotiate and struggle with violence via a critical feminist approach. We analyze data obtained via individual, in-depth interviews with 15 athletes using the thematic analysis method. The findings show that active use of Instagram brings with it experiences of cyber sexual harassment and online and offline stalking. Turkey’s neo-conservative, religious, and patriarchal gender regime does not allow the interviewees to post freely on Instagram. Findings also reveal the presence of digital emotional labor, which is an important part of the athletic labor of femininity, in the struggle of participants to use Instagram as their own safe and free space. Consequently, although the participants have a fear of being exposed to violence in the real world due to their cyber violence experiences, or even fear death from time to time due to their Instagram posts, they nevertheless strive to use this space freely and break the control over their bodies.

Social Media and Sport Studies (2014–2023): A Critical Review

“…The following are some examples:Lim et al (2020) examined how the level of humility expressed through athletes' social media postings and post volume is associated with the athletes' in-game performance;Kavasoğlu et al (2023) attempted to understand how Turkish female athletes who are active on Instagram experience cyber violence, the cultural context of that violence, and the ways in which athletes negotiate and struggle with violence; Geurin (2023) examined the social media education provided by national governing bodies of sport; Ahmad and Thorpe (2020) explored the ways Muslim sportswomen are using social media to challenge stereotypical representations and to build community; andYan et al (2021) investigated activities of Internet Research Agency bots in the Twitter sphere of the NFL anthem protest.…”