Discursive strategies of parental regret on social media
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The expression of parental regret remains a deeply stigmatized and challenging topic (Donath, 2015, 2017; Heffernan and Stone, 2021; Sihto and Mustosmäki, 2021; Johnson and Pétursdóttir, 2024), with parents often struggling to voice their feelings due to fear of judgment and misunderstanding. However, social networks have emerged as safe spaces for breaking this unspoken taboo (Matley, 2020). This paper aims to explore the discursive strategies employed by parents, mostly mothers, on social media platforms to articulate their experiences of regret. Following qualitative critical discourse analysis (van Dijk, 1993, 2002, 2006; Fairclough, 1989, 1995, 2001; and Wodak, 2001, 2007, 2009), this study examines which linguistic tools and rhetorical techniques regretting parents employ for self-presentation and for constructing their parental identities. It also investigates how these strategies facilitate understanding within online communities and elicit responses from other users. The primary data consist of posts and comments from English-speaking social media networks dedicated to motherhood and parenting, specifically the 'I regret having children' Facebook group, Reddit's 'regretful parents,' and selected YouTube channels focusing on this topic. The findings aim to contribute to the redefinition of the public image of motherhood and parenting, illuminating how the self-presentation of parental regret can impact societal expectations. |
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