This study examines how discourses on sport and the body are constructed in the Instagram content of fitness influencers in Turkey and how these discursive constructions shape processes of subjectification. Drawing on Foucauldian discourse analysis, the study analyses content produced by four influencers with more than 100,000 followers between January and March 2026. The findings demonstrate that the body is constructed as a continuously regulated and improvable entity, while truth regimes are legitimised through scientific references, expert positioning, and follower’s shared messages. Fitness discourse extends beyond exercise to organize everyday practices such as sleep, nutrition, and stress management, as well as religious practices such as Ramadan fasting. These discursive practices are intertwined with technologies of the self that encourage continuous self-monitoring and bodily regulation. Within this framework, individuals are constituted as responsible and self-regulating subjects expected to invest in and manage their bodies, while gendered discourses produce differentiated norms for male and female bodies. Overall, the study offers insights into how digital fitness culture operates as a digital-age terrain of subject formation through self-discipline and self-surveillance.
Deniz Bilge ÜLKER (Wed,) studied this question.