ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 considers what existing scholarship has revealed about the ways in which gender and parenthood have been constructed and negotiated in digital contexts. In doing so, it situates this book within a growing tradition of digital discourse studies, particularly research that explores constructions of gender and parenthood in digital spaces. The chapter explains in detail what an Internet discussion forum is, and what is distinctive about the Mumsnet Talk discussion forum. It also considers what kinds of social possibilities Internet discussion forums in general, and Mumsnet Talk specifically, might afford. For example it suggests that the physical separation of interlocutors and the related potential for anonymity may be key factors that allow individuals to experiment, play with and move beyond socio-cultural norms when they interact online. However, the chapter also emphasizes some of the ways in which forms of expression can be constrained within digital contexts – for example by the corporate agendas of large and profit-driven platforms and websites.
