AIS End-of-Term Conference – The Challenges of the Mediterranean for Europe | Bergamo, Italy

Event organizer: AIS (Associazione Italiana di Sociologia)

Speaker: Dr. Valentina D’Auria (University of Salerno)

Paper: Paralympic athletes’ self-narratives: a thematic analysis of content published on Instagram

Abstract: Media representations of Paralympic athletes have often been examined through the lenses of both traditional media (de Léséleuc et al., 2010) and digital media (Petersen-Wagner & Ludvigsen, 2024). One of the most recurrent themes in the literature concerns how the media contribute to shaping the collective imaginary surrounding disability and Paralympic sport. Less investigated, however, is how athletes themselves choose to self-represent on social media (Antunovic et al., 2024; Pullen et al., 2019). This exploratory study proposes a thematic analysis of Instagram content published by some of the most popular Italian Paralympic athletes.

The first results suggest the presence of an ambivalent narrative: on the one hand, athletes draw on frames typical of heroic and performance-oriented rhetoric (Barnes & Mercer, 2001; Galvin, 2003); on the other hand, more authentic and personal content emerges—everyday experiences that transcend sporting identity. In addition, many posts appear to adopt an implicitly educational tone: the Paralympic athlete is often portrayed as committed to conveying messages of resilience, discipline, and awareness. This tension between an “exemplary function” and a “need for authenticity” points to an ongoing negotiation between adherence to normative models and the desire to redefine the very meaning of being an athlete.

Keywords: Paralympic athletes, Instagram, narrative, educational role