Soccer, gender and homo-sociability on social media: masculinity on a WhatsApp communication circuit

Abstract

Soccer is a fundamental issue on Brazilian culture and national identity. Defined by a bias of male identity, soccer in Brazil is related to values as honor, sexuality and dignity. The inclusion of social media in everyday life has changed the way ordinary fans talk about soccer. Elements of ordinary soccer sociability pointed out in other studies, such as playfulness and the affirmation of dominant male stereotypes are renewed on social media. Departing from a nethnographic research, this study identified a number of interactional arrangements on the communication circuit of a group of informal soccer players on WhatsApp. The results point out to patterns of re-affirmation of masculine hegemony, in terms of “male homo-sociability”, “gender playfulness” and “political satire”.

Keywords
Soccer; Gender; Identity; Social Media; WhatsApp; Male Homo-sociability