Interaction, Heteroglossia and Discourse in the #maternidadereal [realmaternity]

Abstract

This article is the result of a doctoral study about the maternal ethos in social networks and it aims to reflect on the expression #maternidadereal [real maternity], used in internet posts. In the light of Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia, this observation will start from the idea of interaction, a fundamental and constituent phenomenon in social networks. the meaning of “real” will be considered from Jacques Lacan’s theory, to delineate the differences between the hegemonic discourse of traditional motherhood, of romanticization, and the contemporary and counter-hegemonic discourse, through which motherhood can be vented in its pains. Finally, in order to verify how these discourses intersect in the materiality of language, 5 posts with the tag #maternidadereal will be analyzed, determining, through their brands, which axiological axis they are affiliated with. As a result, it was noticed that the idea of “real” fluctuates according to the subject-position of the mother who appropriates it, evidencing the heteroglossia that underlies these statements.