You are here: Home / Vol. 17, issue 1 / Paper 2026-8

Paper 2026-8

РОДИТЕЛСТВОТО КАТО ПУБЛИЧЕН СПЕКТАКЪЛ В ДИГИТАЛНАТА ЕПОХА: МЕЖДУ АВТЕНТИЧНОСТТА, СОЦИАЛНАТА РОЛЯ И ДИГИТАЛНОТО ПРЕДСТАВЯНЕ

Евгения Валентинова Роева
Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, София

PARENTING AS A PUBLIC SPECTACLE IN THE DIGITAL AGE: BETWEEN AUTHENTICITY, SOCIAL ROLE AND DIGITAL REPRESENTATION

Evgenia Valentinova Roeva
Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski“, Sofia

* Публикацията отразява изследователски резултати по научен проект на тема „Съвременното родителство – между демографските тенденции, социалните очаквания към семейството и визии за възпитателна успешност, представяни от масмедии и културни институции“ с номер 80-10-128/ 16.04.2026, финансиран със средства, отпуснати целево от държавния бюджет на СУ „Св. Климент Охридски“за научни изследвания през 2026 г.

Abstract: This study explores the public representation of parenthood in the context of digital culture and the growing influence of social media on contemporary parenting models. While parenting has traditionally belonged to the private sphere, social media increasingly transforms it into a visible social practice through which values, educational beliefs, and family identities are publicly presented and negotiated. The study aims to analyse how Bulgarian family content creators construct images of parents and children and how contemporary understandings of successful parenting are represented online. The theoretical framework combines concepts of digital parenthood, self-presentation, and Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective, interpreting social media as a stage for the public performance of parental identity. A qualitative research design was employed, integrating content and discourse analysis of 40 publications from four popular Bulgarian family-oriented social media profiles published between 2021 and 2026. The analysis identifies four distinct models of digital parenthood: the parent as a co-explorer and facilitator of learning, an emotional companion, a socially engaged supportive adult, and a partner in shared family experiences. The findings indicate a shift from traditional authoritarian parenting towards partnership, emotional support, and learning through shared experiences. The study contributes to understanding how social media shapes contemporary perceptions of parenthood, childhood, and educational success through the public construction of family life.

Keywords: digital parenthood, social media, family relationships, self-presentation, parenting practices.

References:

  1. Andreev, M. Pedagogicheska sotsiologiya. Sofia: Narodna prosveta, 1988.
  2. Blum-Ross, A., Livingstone, S. Sharenting, parent blogging, and the boundaries of the digital self. Popular Communication, Vol. 15(2), 2017, pp. 110–125.
  3. Livingstone, S., Stoilova, M. The 4Cs: Classifying online risk to children. London School of Economics and Political Science, 2021.
  4. Marwick, A. E. Instafame: Luxury selfies in the attention economy. Public Culture, Vol. 27(1), 2015, pp. 137–160.
  5. Ivanov, I. Semeyna pedagogika. Shumen: Aksios, 1998.
  6. Chavdarova-Kostova, S. Vazpitanieto v strukturata na semeynite otnosheniya. Sofia: Universitetsko izdatelstvo „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“, 2017.
  7. Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday Anchor Books.
  8. Abidin, C. #Familygoals: Family influencers, calibrated amateurism, and justifying young digital labor. Social Media + Society, Vol. 3(2), 2017, pp. 1–15.
  9. Bucheva, S. Semeystvo i dete. Sofia: Kolbis, 2009.
  10. Daskalova, St. Vsyako dete e geroy. Sofia: Siela, 2015.
  11. Argyle, M., Henderson, M. Anatomiya na choveshkite otnosheniya. Sofia: Nauka i izkustvo, 1989.

Endnotes:
1. YouTube channel „Ayde BG”
2. YouTube channel „Golyamata malka Svetlana”
3. Instagram profile of Dayana Handzhieva
4. YouTube channel „Nie, nashite i kucheto“

READ FULL PAPER