Communing Affiliation and the Power of Bonding Icons in Collective Narratives: The Case of #GrowingUpGay

In line with Zappavigna and Martin’s (2018) discursive system of communing affiliation, the following study aims to interpret how values linked to the experience of being a young LGBTIQ+ individual are positioned as bondable in the ambient environment set out through the hashtag #GrowingUpGay. In particular, following Döveling et al. (2018), emotions are explored as a cultural practice in terms of affect, that is, as something online users display/perform rather than feel/have, thus constructing digital landscapes for culture-specific communities of affective practice. In doing so, homophobic discursive loci are highlighted in the way users represent the struggles they have jointly experienced and, therefore, it is possible to see how forms of homophobia and discrimination impact individuals’ lives.