Gender games. Gender roles in sport social media challenges: a content analysis

Autores/as

  • Vittoria Azzarita Sapienza University of Rome
  • Maddalena Carbonari Sapienza University of Rome
  • Marta Grasso Sapienza University of Rome
  • Cosimo Miraglia Sapienza, University of Rome https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2804-1640

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12795/Ambitos.2023.i59.07

Palabras clave:

social media challenge, digital culture, femininity, masculinity, sports

Resumen

This research investigates the sport practice through the lens of gender on digital platforms. Since they are involved in the construction of corporeality, sports tend to reproduce socially dominant values about what being a woman, or a man means. Consequently, the idea that there are «feminine sports» and «masculine sports» is widespread. Specifically, sporting practices through the phenomenon of social media challenges are focused. These are highly correlated with concepts such as challenge and performance, in which gender, too, is enacted. The aim is to explore to what extent these sport challenges promote predominant ideas about femininity and masculinity, and in what cases they question them. To achieve these objectives, we used a dataset of about one thousand videos, shared on four social networking platforms during the period between 1 January 2020 and 31 January 2021. From this dataset, 136 social media challenges marked for «sport,» «physical ability,» or «fitness» were selected. Content analysis, chosen as the method of analysis, shows how through these new challenges traditional gender differences are perpetuated and promoted rather than challenged. In this regard, although digital platforms have created new symbolic and expressive spaces in which once unthinkable forms of self-representation and interaction can be implemented and new possibilities of agency are developed, sport social media challenges do not yet appear to be fully involved in that process.

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Métricas

Cargando métricas ...

Citas

Antunovic, D. & Bartoluci, S. (2022). Sport, gender, and national interest during the Olympics: A comparative analysis of media representations in Central and Eastern Europe. International Review for the Sociology of Sport.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​10126902221095686

Bem, S. L. (1981). Gender schema theory: a cognitive account of sex typing. Psycho-logical Review, 88, 354-364. https://​doi​.org/​10​.1037/​0033​-295X​.88​.4​.354

Bifulco, L. & Tuselli, A. (2017). Corpi sportivi e identità di genere. Il Crossfit. La camera blu. Rivista di studi di genere, 17, 254-282.

Bonino, L. (1996). La violencia invisible en la pareja. 1as. Jornadas de género en la sociedad actual, Generalitat Valenciana, 25-45.

Branley, D. B. & Covey, J. (2017). Is exposure to online content depicting risky behavior related to viewers’ own risky behavior offline?, Computers in Human Behavior, 75, 283-287.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1016/​j​.chb​.2017​.05​.023

Branley, D. B. & Covey, J. (2018). Risky behavior via social media: The role of reasoned and social reactive pathways. Computers in Human Behavior, 78, 183-191.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1016/​j​.chb​.2017​.09​.036

Braumüller, B., Emberger, D. & Hartmann-Tews, I. (2020). Gendered coverage of the Olympic Games in German print media: a longitudinal content analysis in the context of participation, success and disciplines. European Journal for Sport and Society.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​16138171​.2020​.1792086

Bruce, T. (2013). Reflections on communication and sport: On women and femininities. Communication and Sport, 1(1-2), 125-137.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​2167479512472883

Burgess, A., Miller, V. & Moore, S. (2018). Prestige, Performance and Social Pressure in Viral Challenge Memes: Neknomination, the Ice-Bucket Challenge and SmearForSmear as Imitative Encounters. Sociology, 52(5), 1035–1051.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​0038038516680312

Burgess, J., Cassidy, E., Duguay, S. & Light, B. (2016). Making digital cultures of gender and sexuality with social media. Social Media and Society, 2(4), 1-4.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​2056305116672487

Burroughs, B., Malik, M., Johnson, R. & Romney, M. (2022). Content analysis of biological sex-specific media coverage of sport: The case of National Collegiate Athletic Association athletic department home webpages. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 57(5), 673–692.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​10126902211029612

Chalabaev, A., Sarrazin, P., Fontayne, P., Boiché, J. & Clément-Guillotin, C. (2013). The influence of sex stereotypes and gender roles on participation and performance in sport and exercise: Review and future directions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14, 136-144.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1016/​j​.psychsport​.2012​.10​.005

Channon, A. (2012). Western men and Eastern arts: The significance of Eastern martial arts disciplines in British men’s narratives of masculinity. Asia Pacific Journal of Sport and Social Science, 1(2-3), 111-127.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​21640599​.2012​.751170

Channon, A. (2013). Enter the discourse: Exploring the discursive roots of inclusivity in mixed-sex martial arts. Sport in Society Journal, 16(10), 1293-1308.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​17430437​.2013​.790896

Channon, A. & Jennings, G. (2014). Exploring embodiment through martial arts and combat sports: a review of empirical research. Sport in Society Journal, 17(6), 773-789.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​17430437​.2014​.882906

Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender and Power. Society, the Person and Sexual Politics. Polity Press.

Cooky, C., Council, L. D., Mears, M. A. & Messner, M. A. (2021). One and Done: The Long Eclipse of Women’s Televised Sports, 1989–2019. Communication & Sport, 9(3), 347–371.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​21674795211003524

Cooper, M. & Dzara, K. (2010). The Facebook revolution: LGBT identity and activism. In Pullen, C. & Cooper, M. (Eds.). LGBT identity and online new media, 100–112. Routledge.

Duncan, M. C. & Hasbrook, C. A. (1988). Denial of Power in Televised Women’s Sports. Sociology of Sport Journal, 5(1), 1–21.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1123/​ssj​.5​.1​.1

Duncan, M. C. & Messner., M. A. (2000). Gender in Televised Sports: 1989, 1993, and 1999. Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles.

Eagly, A. H. (1995). The science and politics of comparing women and men. American Psychologist, 50, 145-158/ https://​doi​.org/​10​.1037/​0003​-066X​.50​.3​.145

Eastman, S. T. & Billings, A. C. (2000). Sportscasting and Sports Reporting: The Power of Gender Bias. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 24(2), 192–213.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​0193723500242006

EIGE (2017). Gender Equality Index 2017: Measuring gender equality in the European Union 2005-2015 – Report. https://​eige​.europa​.eu/​publications/​gender​-equality​-index​-2017​-measuring​-gender​-equality​-european​-union​-2005​-2015​-report

Evans, B. (2006). «I’d feel ashamed’: Girls’ bodies and sports participation. Gender, Place & Culture, 13(5), 547-561.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​09663690600858952

Faggiano, M. P. (2016). L’analisi del contenuto di oggi e di ieri. Testi e contesti on e offline. FrancoAngeli.

Farris, D. N., Compton, D’L. R. & Herrera A. P. (2020). Gender, Sexuality and Race in the Digital Age. Springer. https://​doi​.org/​10​.1007/​978​-3​-030​-29855​-5

Ferrero Camoletto, R. & Topini, F. (2020). Che genere di sport? Fare e disfare il genere nelle pratiche sportive. Riviste di Sessuologia, 44 (1), 41-49.

Giordano, V., Panarese P. & Parisi, S. (2016). (a cura di) Rischio, trasgressione, avventura. Esperienza e percezione del limite tra gli adolescenti. Franco Angeli.

Hargreaves, J. (1994). Sporting Females. Critical issues in the history and sociology of women’s sports. Routledge.

Hines, M. (2004). Androgen, Estrogen, and Gender: Contributions of the Early Hormone Environment to Gender-Related Behavior. In A. H. Eagly, A. E. Beall, & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), The psychology of gender (pp. 9–37). The Guilford Press.

Jane, E. A. (2017). ‘Dude ... stop the spread’: antagonism, agonism, and #manspreading on social media. International Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 20(5), 459–475.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​1367877916637151

Jarrar, Y., Awobamise, A., Nnabuife, S. & Nweke, G. E. (2020). Perception of Pranks on Social Media: Clout-Lighting. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies. 10(1), e202001.

Joyce, J. B., Huma, B., Ristimaki, H., Ferraz de Almeida, F. & Doehring A. (2021). Speaking out against everyday sexism: Gender and epistemics in accusations of «mansplaining». Feminism & Psychology, 31(4), 502–529. https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​0959353520979499

Kane, M. J. (1995). Resistance/Transformation of the oppositional binary: Exposing sport as a continuum. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 19(2), 191–218.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​019372395019002006

Kane, M. J. & Lenskyj, H. (1998). Media Treatment of Female Athletes: Issues of Gender and Sexualities. MediaSport: Cultural Sensibilities and Sport in the Media Age. Routledge, 186–201.

Klug, D. (2020). «It took me almost 30 minutes to practice this». Performance and Production Practices in Dance Challenge Videos on TikTok, ArXiv. /arXiv.2008.13040

https://​doi​.org/​10​.33767/​osf​.io/​j8u9v

Knisel, E., Opitz, S., Wossmann, M. & Keteihuf, K. (2009). Sport motivation and physical activity of students in three European schools. International Journal of Physical Education, 46(2), 40-53.

Lavoi, N. M. (2013). Gender and Sport Media. In E. A. Roper (Eds.), Gender Relations in Sport (pp. 39-52). Brill Academic Pub.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1007/​978​-94​-6209​-455​-0​_3

Lee, P., Westcott, K., Wray, I. & Raviprakash, S. (2020). Women’s sport gets down to business. On track for rising monetization. Technology, Media and Telecommunications predictions 2021, Deloitte, 52-67.

Losito, G. (1996). L’analisi del contenuto nella ricerca sociale. FrancoAngeli.

Matthews, C. R. (2011). The thrill of the fight: sensuous experiences of boxing: Towards a sociology of violence [PhD Thesis, Loughborough University]. https://​repository​.lboro​.ac​.uk/​articles/​thesis/​The​_thrill​_of​_the​_fight​_​-​_sensuous​_experiences​_of​_boxing​_​-​_towards​_a​_sociology​_of​_violence/​9604763

McKay, J. (1993). «Marked Men» and «Wanton Women»: The Politics of Naming Sexual «Deviance» in Sport. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 2(1), 69–87.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.3149/​jms​.0201​.69

Messner, M. A. (1990). Boyhood, organized sports, and the construction of masculinities. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 18(4), 416-444.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​089124190018004003

Messner, M. A. (2002). Taking the Field: Women, Men, and Sports (NED-New edition, Vol. 4). University of Minnesota Press. http://​www​.jstor​.org/​stable/​10​.5749/​j​.ctttssgq

Monaci, M. G. & Veronesi, F. (2019). Getting angry when playing tennis: Gender differences and impact on performance. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 13(1), 116-133.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1123/​jcsp​.2017​-0035

Mowlabocus, S. (2010). Gaydar Culture: Gay Men, Technology and Embodiment in the Digital Age. Ashgate.

Pellegrini, A. D. & Archer, J. (2005). Sex differences in competitive and aggressive behavior: A view from sexual selection theory. In B. J. Ellis & D. F. Bjorklund (Eds.), Origins of the social mind: Evolutionary psychology and child development (pp. 219-244). The Guilford Press.

Reagle, J. (2016). The obligation to know: From FAQ to Feminism 101. New Media & Society, 18(5), 691–707. https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​1461444814545840

Rojas-Torrijos, J. L. & Ramon, X. (2021). Exploring agenda diversity in European public service media sports desks: A comparative study of underrepresented disciplines, sportswomen and disabled athletes’ coverage on Twitter. Journalism Studies 22(2): 225–242.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​1461670X​.2020​.1809497

Romney, M. & Johnson, R. G. (2020). The ball game is for the boys: The visual framing of female athletes on national sports networks’ Instagram accounts. Communication & Sport 8(6), 738–756.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​2167479519836731

Sailors, P. R., Teetzel, S. & Weaving, C. (2016), Core Workout: A Feminist Critique of Definitions, Hyperfemininity, and the Medicalization of Fitness. IJFAB: International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics. 9(2), 46-66.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.3138/​ijfab​.9​.2​.46

Scarcelli, C. M., Krijnen, T. & Nixon, P. (2021). Sexuality, gender, media. Identity articulations in the contemporary media landscape. Information, Communication & Society, 24(8). 1063-1072.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​1369118X​.2020​.1804603

Scheerder, J., Vehmas, H. & Helsen, K. (Eds.). (2020). The Rise and Size of the Fitness Industry in Europe. Fit for the Future?. Palgrave Macmillan.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1007/​978​-3​-030​-53348​-9

Schlaile, M. P., Knausberg, T., Mueller, M. & Zeman, J. (2018). Viral Ice Buckets: A Memetic Perspective on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge’s Diffusion. Cogn. Syst. Res., 52, 947-969.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1016/​j​.cogsys​.2018​.09​.012

Sheffer, M. L. (2020). New media, old ways: An analysis of sports media’s depiction of female athletes on Instagram and Snapchat. Journal of Sports Media, 15(2), 31–50.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1353/​jsm​.2020​.0009

Solnit, R. (2014). Gli uomini mi spiegano le cose. Riflessioni sulla sopraffazione maschile. Ponte alle Grazie.

Spencer, D. C. (2012). Narratives of despair and loss: pain, injury and masculinity in the sport of mixed martial arts. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health Journal, 4(1), 117-137.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​2159676X​.2011​.653499

Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. John Wiley & Sons.

Toft, D. (2011, October 3). New sports press survey: Newspapers focus narrowly on sports results. Play the game. Retrieved from http://​www​.playthegame​.org/​knowledge​-bank/​articles/​new​-sports​-press​-survey​-newspapers​-focus​-narrowly​-on​-sports​-results​-5248​.html

We Are Social, & Hootsuite (2022). Digital 2022. Global overview report. The essential guide to the world’s connected behaviors. https://​www​.hootsuite​.com/​it/​risorse/​digital​-trends

Weatherall, A. (2015). Sexism in Language and Talk-in-Interaction. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 34(4).

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​0261927X15586574

Weber, J. D. & Carini, R. M. (2013). Where are the female athletes in Sports Illustrated? A content analysis of covers (2000–2011). International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 48(2), 196–203.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​1012690211434230

Weedon, C. (1999), Feminism, Theory and the Politics of Difference, Blackwell.

Wombacher, K., Reno, J. E. & Veil, S. R. (2017). NekNominate: Social Norms, Social Media, and Binge Drinking. Health Communication, 32, 596-602.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1080/​10410236​.2016​.1146567

Wood, W., Eagly A. H. (2012). Chapter two - Biosocial Construction of Sex Differences and Similarities in Behavior. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 55–123.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1016/​B978​-0​-12​-394281​-4​.00002​-7

Xu, Q., Fan, M. & Brown, K. A. (2021). Men’s Sports or Women’s Sports? Gender Norms, Sports Participation, and Media Consumption as Predictors of Sports Gender Typing in China. Communication & Sport. 9(2), 264–286.

https://​doi​.org/​10​.1177/​2167479519860209

Publicado

2023-01-15

Cómo citar

Azzarita, V., Carbonari, M., Grasso, M., & Miraglia, C. (2023). Gender games. Gender roles in sport social media challenges: a content analysis. Ámbitos. Revista Internacional De Comunicación, (59), 92–108. https://doi.org/10.12795/Ambitos.2023.i59.07

Número

Sección

MONOGRÁFICO
Visualizaciones
  • Resumen 481
  • PDF (English) 193
  • XML 114