Negotiating digital identities: Small story narrative analysis of queer and heterosexual elite hockey playing mothers’ self-portrayals on Instagram

IF 3.3 2区心理学 Q2 HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM

Psychology of Sport and Exercise Pub Date : 2025-05-25 DOI:10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102881

Kerry R. McGannon , Andrea Bundon , Willa Hladun , Ann Pegoraro

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

This study builds on qualitative research on elite athlete mothers and media research centring queer and heterosexual athlete mothers in elite sport. We sought to expand understanding of the less explored sexual orientation, (non)biological motherhood, and sport career, in one social media space (i.e., Instagram), in the sport of ice hockey.

Design

Visual/textual Instagram posts (n = 1245) of four Canadian elite hockey player mothers’ -two queer non-biological mothers and two heterosexual biological mothers -were the focus of small story narrative analysis. We explored how queer and heterosexual hockey player mothers portray their identities in small stories as they negotiated motherhood and sport career.

Results

Two identities were identified: mumtrepeneur and generative identity. Three small stories of children on ice, children off ice, and grit and grace shaped ‘mumtrepeneur’ identity meanings threaded by consumerism that enhanced queer athlete mothers' visibility but revealed an economic advantage for heterosexual mothers. Two small stories of giving back to others and not without family shaped a ‘generative identity’ tied to growing the game for the next generation and nurturing family in careers. These findings show how hockey (non)biological mothers resist, and affirm, heteronormative mother narratives, using digital small stories.

Conclusions

Small stories on Instagram enhance understanding of queer and heterosexual (non)biological mother identities and (in)visibility, in an inequitable sport system. This research shows how small stories on Instagram can be used by athlete mothers to increase visibility and marketability, while exposing additional avenues needed for equity and change concerning identity inclusion. More research using a small story approach grounded in narrative inquiry would build on understanding social media's role in shaping motherhood and sport meanings.

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协商数字身份：酷儿和异性恋精英曲棍球母亲在Instagram上的自我描述的小故事叙事分析。

目的：本研究是在对优秀运动员母亲进行定性研究的基础上，以优秀体育运动中的酷儿和异性恋运动员母亲为中心进行媒体研究。我们试图在一个社交媒体空间（即Instagram）中，在冰球运动中，扩大对较少探索的性取向、（非）亲生母亲和体育事业的理解。设计：四个加拿大优秀冰球运动员的母亲——两个非亲生酷儿母亲和两个异性恋亲生母亲——在Instagram上的视觉/文字帖子（n=1245）是小故事叙事分析的重点。我们探讨了酷儿和异性恋曲棍球运动员的母亲如何在小故事中描绘自己的身份，因为她们在母亲身份和体育事业之间进行了谈判。结果：鉴定出两种身份：母亲身份和生殖身份。三个关于冰上的孩子、冰上的孩子、坚毅和优雅的小故事塑造了“妈妈创业者”的身份意义，这些意义被消费主义所围绕，提高了酷儿运动员母亲的知名度，但也揭示了异性恋母亲的经济优势。两个回馈他人的小故事塑造了一个“生成性的身份”，与为下一代发展这项运动和在职业生涯中培养家庭联系在一起。这些发现显示了曲棍球（非）亲生母亲如何利用数字小故事抵制和肯定异性恋的母亲叙事。结论：Instagram上的小故事增强了人们对酷儿和异性恋（非）亲生母亲身份的理解，以及在不公平的体育体系中的知名度。这项研究表明，运动员妈妈们可以利用Instagram上的小故事来提高知名度和营销能力，同时暴露出在身份包容方面实现公平和变革所需的其他途径。更多的研究将在理解社交媒体在塑造母性和体育意义方面的作用的基础上，使用基于叙事调查的小故事方法。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Psychology of Sport and Exercise 医学-心理学

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

5.90%

发文量

172

审稿时长

69 days

期刊介绍： Psychology of Sport and Exercise is an international forum for scholarly reports in the psychology of sport and exercise, broadly defined. The journal is open to the use of diverse methodological approaches. Manuscripts that will be considered for publication will present results from high quality empirical research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, commentaries concerning already published PSE papers or topics of general interest for PSE readers, protocol papers for trials, and reports of professional practice (which will need to demonstrate academic rigour and go beyond mere description). The CONSORT guidelines consort-statement need to be followed for protocol papers for trials; authors should present a flow diagramme and attach with their cover letter the CONSORT checklist. For meta-analysis, the PRISMA prisma-statement guidelines should be followed; authors should present a flow diagramme and attach with their cover letter the PRISMA checklist. For systematic reviews it is recommended that the PRISMA guidelines are followed, although it is not compulsory. Authors interested in submitting replications of published studies need to contact the Editors-in-Chief before they start their replication. We are not interested in manuscripts that aim to test the psychometric properties of an existing scale from English to another language, unless new validation methods are used which address previously unanswered research questions.