Breaking the disability: Turkish disabled athletes’ self-presentation performances on Instagram

Despite the abundance of studies exploring athletes’ self-presentation on social media, there is a notable scarcity of research focused on the self-presentation performances of disabled athletes within these digital spaces. This study investigates the self-presentation performances of disabled athletes representing Turkey in international competitions, on Instagram. By employing a netnographic approach, 645 highlighted stories from the Instagram of 5 athletes (female = 3 and male = 2) were subjected to analysis. The findings of the study reveal a distinction: Female athletes tend to emphasize their on-stage performances, whereas male athletes direct attention to their off-stage performances. In their on-stage performances, athletes gravitate toward showcasing posts related to awards earned from competitions. Conversely, in their off-stage performances, they opt to highlight familial and interpersonal relationships. This study has determined that disabled athletes prefer to highlight their on-stage performances on Instagram. This platform functions as a realm of validation for their accomplishments.