A peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal dedicated to the advancement of sports sciences for individuals with diverse abilities

Digital Presence and Lived Experience: Disabled Athletes on Social Media

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Candidate, Sport Management, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

APSS/apss.2025.2071012.1008
Abstract
This study employed a phenomenological analysis using an interpretive approach to explore the lived experiences of disabled athletes' social media presence, focusing on meaning-making processes and subjective interpretations of their digital engagement. The research involved 15 participants and Data collection utilized semi-structured in-depth interviews lasting 45-60 minutes, conducted face-to-face or via video conferencing, with analysis following phenomenological principles that resulted in 287 semantic propositions being reduced to 96 semantic units, then 13 subordinate themes, and finally five principal themes include Identity Reconstruction in Digital Space, Confronting Discriminatory Structures, Social Relationship Dynamics, Psychological and Emotional Experiences, and Resistance and Action Strategies—demonstrating that social media serves as a complex terrain where disabled athletes simultaneously experience unprecedented opportunities for self-representation and community building while confronting persistent discrimination and developing sophisticated coping mechanisms, challenging simplistic narratives about technology as either purely liberating or oppressive for marginalized communities.

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Volume 5, Issue 2 - Serial Number 13
August 2025
Pages 221-240

  • Receive Date 06 September 2025
  • Revise Date 28 September 2025
  • Accept Date 05 October 2025
  • First Publish Date 05 October 2025
  • Publish Date 01 August 2025