The Prosumption Networks of Twitter Users Following the Premier League’s Support for #BlackLivesMatter and the #WhiteLivesMatter Response

Abstract

Though still of concern, racist abuse within the UK’s football (soccer) stadiums has declined. However, with the increasing significance of digital leisure in people’s lives, there is now a large amount of abuse related to football that is expressed through social media. Digital communities provide both the means of consuming leisure (watching football) and “talking” about it with whoever will “listen.” Here we examine the social architecture of networks on Twitter as they emerged in response to two incidents in 2020. To do this, we adopt Social Network Analysis to reveal the prosumption networks that form around key “users.” Our article offers empirical insights into racial digital leisure, addresses what action is needed from sporting organizations and media platforms, and suggests avenues for future research.