Unveiling childfree voices: representation, humor, and resistance on Instagram

Main Article Content

Esra Bozkanat

Resumo

Este estudio explora la representación social de la decisión de no tener hijos de manera voluntaria en Instagram, centrándose en cómo los individuos que eligen no tener hijos crean y negocian sus identidades en un espacio digital. Basándose en la Teoría de las Representaciones Sociales (RS), la investigación analiza 212 publicaciones de Instagram de creadores de contenido childfree para comprender cómo se enmarca y se contrarresta el RS. El análisis identifica dos mecanismos principales de representación: "anclaje" y "objetificación". El anclaje se observa en el uso de términos positivos como "childfree" en lugar de "childless", que conlleva una connotación más negativa. Este cambio en la terminología ayuda a replantear el estilo de vida childfree como una elección deliberada y empoderada en lugar de una deficiencia. La objetificación, por otro lado, ocurre a través del humor visual, a menudo en forma de memes que desafían los estigmas sociales sobre los individuos sin hijos. Estos memes abordan de manera humorística las críticas comunes, como la soledad, el arrepentimiento o el egoísmo, y presentan el estilo de vida sin hijos como una alternativa válida y satisfactoria a la paternidad. El estudio destaca el papel de Instagram al permitir que los individuos childfree resistan la estigmatización a la que se enfrentan en los medios tradicionales. A través del autoencuadre, el humor y el rechazo de las etiquetas sociales, estos usuarios participan en una comunicación defensiva para afirmar la legitimidad de sus decisiones. Este estudio ofrece perspectivas importantes sobre cómo las plataformas de redes sociales empoderan a los individuos para redefinir su identidad y combatir el estigma de maneras que los medios tradicionales no pueden.

Downloads

Não há dados estatísticos.

Article Details

Como Citar
Bozkanat, E. (2025). Unveiling childfree voices: representation, humor, and resistance on Instagram. methaodos.Revista De Ciências Sociais, 13(1), m251301a06. https://doi.org/10.17502/mrcs.v13i1.861
Secção
Artigos
Biografia Autor

Esra Bozkanat, Kırklareli University

PhD in 2018 at Istanbul University. She is currently a faculty member in the Sociology Department at Kırklareli University, where she teaches courses on digital society, media, popular culture, communication sociology, and qualitative research methods. Her primary research interests include digital media analysis, social representations in digital media, digital media literacy, and qualitative data analysis. She focuses on understanding the intersection of digital media, culture, and society through specific theoretical frameworks. Since 2023, she has been a member of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA).

Referências

Boiarintseva, G., Ezzedeen, S. R., McNab, A., & Wilkin, C. (2022). A qualitative investigation of the work-nonwork experiences of dual-career professional couples without children. Personnel Review, 51(9), 2041-2060. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2021-0006

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Bugden, D., Evensen, D., & Stedman, R. (2017). A drill by any other name: Social representations, framing, and legacies of natural resource extraction in the fracking industry. Energy Research & Social Science, 29, 62-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.05.011

Cassidy, T., & Sintrovani, P. (2008). Motives for parenthood, psychosocial factors and health in women undergoing IVF. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 26(1), 4- 17. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646830701691392

Clarke, V., Hayfield, N., Ellis, S. J., & Terry, G. (2018). Lived Experiences of Childfree Lesbians in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Exploration. Journal of Family Issues, 39(18), 4133- 4155. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18810931

Cohen, G., Bessin, M., & Gaymard, S. (2022). Social representations, media, and iconography: A semiodiscursive analysis of Facebook posts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. European Journal of Communication, 37(6), 629-645. https://doi.org/10.1177/02673231221096332

Coyne, I. T. (1997). Sampling in qualitative research. Purposeful and theoretical sampling; merging or clear boundaries? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26(3), 623-630. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.1997.t01-25-00999.x

DeLyser, G. (2012). At Midlife, Intentionally Childfree Women and Their Experiences of Regret. Clinical Social Work Journal, 40(1), 66-74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0337-2

Doyle, J., Pooley, J. A., & Breen, L. (2013). A phenomenological exploration of the childfree choice in a sample of Australian women. Journal of Health Psychology, 18(3), 397- 407. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105312444647

Ekelund, M., & Ask, K. (2021). Stigmatization of Voluntarily Childfree Women and Men in the UK: The Roles of Expected Regret and Moral Judgment. Social Psychology, 52(5), 275- 286. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000455

George-Allen, S. (2022). Beyond Mandatory Motherhood: How Childfree Women Use Digital Spaces to Redefine Womanhood. In L. Rumson & A. Bentham (Eds.), Divergent Women (pp. 127-137). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-678-120221008

Giles, D., Shaw, R. L., & Morgan, W. (2009). Representations of voluntary childlessness in the UK press, 1990-2008. Journal of Health Psychology, 14(8), 1218-1228. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105309346341

Graham, M., & Rich, S. (2014). Representations of Childless Women in the Australian Print Media. Feminist Media Studies, 14(3), 500-518. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2012.737346

Greenblatt-Kimron, L., Kestler-Peleg, M., Even-Zohar, A., & Lavenda, O. (2021). Death Anxiety and Loneliness among Older Adults: Role of Parental Self-Efficacy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), Article 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189857

Hakoköngäs, E., & Sakki, I. (2016). The naturalized nation: Anchoring, objectification and naturalized social representations of history. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 4(2), 646- 669. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v4i2.664

Hennink, M., Hutter, I., & Bailey, A. (2020). Qualitative Research Methods. SAGE.

Hintz, E. A., & Brown, C. L. (2019). Childfree by Choice: Stigma in Medical Consultations for Voluntary Sterilization. Women’s Reproductive Health, 6(1), 62-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2018.1556427

Hintz, E. A., & Haywood, A. (2021). Media Frames of Voluntary Childlessness in the United States from 1989 to 2018. Sex Roles, 84(11), 747-764. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01197-z

Hintz, E. A., & Tucker, R. (2023). Perceptions of the Childfree. In M. Powers (Ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication (pp. 233-253). Oxford University Press.

Höijer, B. (2011). Social Representations Theory: A New Theory for Media Research. Nordicom Review, 32(2), 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1515/nor-2017-0109

Ittefaq, M., Abwao, M., Baines, A., Belmas, G., Kamboh, S. A., & Figueroa, E. J. (2022). A pandemic of hate: Social representations of COVID-19 in the media. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 22(1), 225-252. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12300

Kaklamanidou, B.-D. (2019). The Voluntarily Childless Heroine: A Postfeminist Television Oddity. Television & New Media, 20(3), 275-293. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476417749743

Markowitz, D. M. (2023). Self-presentation in medicine: How language patterns reflect physician impression management goals and affect perceptions. Computers in Human Behavior, 143, 107684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107684

Matley, D. (2020). “I miss my old life”: Regretting motherhood on Mumsnet. Discourse, Context & Media, 37, 100417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2020.100417

Moore, J., & Geist-Martin, P. (2013). Mediated Representations of Voluntary Childlessness, 1900-2012. In The Essential Handbook of Women’s Sexuality, (pp. 233-253) Preager.

Morioka, M. (2021). What Is Antinatalism?: Definition, History, and Categories. https://philpapers.org/rec/MORWIA-13

Morison, T., Macleod, C., Lynch, I., Mijas, M., & Shivakumar, S. T. (2016). Stigma resistance in online childfree communities: The limitations of choice rhetoric. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(2), 184- 198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684315603657

Moscovici, S. (2001). Social representations: Essays in social psychology. Nyu Press.

Moscovici, S. (1984). Phenomenon of Social Representations. In Social Representations. Cambridge University.

Newton, C. R., Hearn, M. T., Yuzpe, A. A., & Houle, M. (1992). Motives for parenthood and response to failed in vitro fertilization: Implications for counseling. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 9(1), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01204110

O’Driscoll, R., & Mercer, J. (2018). Are Loneliness and Regret the Inevitable Outcomes of Ageing and Childlessness? In N. Sappleton (Ed.), Voluntary and Involuntary Childlessness (pp. 173-191). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78754-361-420181008

Peterson, H. (2018). Finding ‘Mr Right’? Childfree Women’s Partner Preferences. In N. Sappleton (Ed.), Voluntary and Involuntary Childlessness (pp. 237-259). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78754-361-420181011

Reyes-de-Cózar, S., Pérez-Escolar, M., & Navazo-Ostúa, P. (2022). Digital Competencies for New Journalistic Work in Media Outlets: A Systematic Review. Media and Communication, 10(1), 27- 42. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v10i1.4439

Ryndzionek, M. (2024). Karierowiczka i egoistka: Opór polskich “bezkidek” wobec presji społecznej posiadania dzieci. Analiza przekazów na platformie TikTok. Kultura i Edukacja, 1(143), 189- 205. https://doi.org/10.15804/kie.2024.01.11

Smith, J., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2021). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (2nd ed.). Sage.

Stahnke, B., Cooley, M. E., & Blackstone, A. (2022). “I’ve Lived My Life to the Fullest: ”Life Satisfaction among Childfree Older Women. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 34(3- 4), 296- 312. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952833.2022.2139078

Stenström, K. (2022). Involuntary childlessness online: Digital lifelines through blogs and Instagram. New Media & Society, 24(3), 797-814. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820968907

Stephani, N. (2025). You still want to have kids, right? Representation of childfree women in Indonesian leading online news outlets. Media Asia, 52(1), 102-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/01296612.2024.2335013

Venkatesanand, S., & Murali, C. (2021). “Childless? Childfree? Neither, Just ME”: pronatalism and (m)otherhood in Paula Knight’s The Facts of Life. Journal of Graphic Novels And Comics, 12(2), 108-126.

Volsche, S. (2019). Voluntarily Childfree: Identity and Kinship in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield.