Manifestation de l’identité dans le discours des supporters de football

Abstract

Identity is a complex concept, as it is not solely a matter of an individual’s perception of oneself, but also influenced by how others perceive them. This is the view of Patrick Charaudeau, who defines identity as “a complex matter, as it is not only a matter of self, but also a matter of others, or more precisely, a matter of self through the eyes of others”. To gain insight into the construction of identity among football supporters, particularly those of the Polish National Team, this study aims to analyze the discourse of online football supporters during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Specifically, the study focuses on the comments made by fans on the Facebook page Łączy nas piłka. The research will examine how a collective identity is formed through the comments made by supporters in a virtual cultural reality. The analysis will be based on the various comments made by online users, including judgments, encouragements, replies, insults, and internet mèmes. The comments section of Łączy nas piłka serves as the fertile ground for linguistic exchanges where the online football supporters express their discourse, marked by a diverse range of emotions and values that are commonly shared among the fans of the Polish National Team. Through this study, we aim to present the discourse of online football supporters, which reflects the manifestation of collective identity among football supporters. By examining the language used by these supporters in online discourse, we can gain insights into how collective identities are formed and expressed in the digital realm.