Digitale Öffentlichkeit(en) metapragmatisch. Zur Aushandlung und Überschreitung kommunikativer Grenzen am Beispiel des Bodyshamings auf YouTube

This paper explores the multidimensional phenomenon of digital publics from a metapragmatic perspective. The focus is on a (potentially) digital-public YouTube discourse fragment on the topic of bodyshaming (on the Internet). In particular, negotiation and violation practices of communicative boundaries (in social media) are thematized. The underlying corpus is composed of (1) a YouTube video of a female (high reach) social media actor who, among other things, recontextualizes (hurtful) comments about her weight gain as well as about a possible pregnancy, and (2) follow-up communication to this video. In the qualitative-quantitative study, special attention is paid to the following questions: (1) Which concept of digital public spheres do the users emphasize in the discussion and (2) which understanding of communicative boundaries (in a digitalized lifeworld) do these participants communicate? A media-critical community is illuminated that construes solidarity with the initial contributor and negotiates the boundaries of appropriate Internet communication.