Identitätsarbeit und kollektive Beziehungsgestaltung im WhatsApp-Gruppenchat

Everyday digital communication in messenger services takes place not only in dyadic constellations, but also in diverse group constellations. Their communicative dynamics and the question of how users narrate personal experiences in a clearly identifiable group of participants have only been investigated to a limited extent so far. Using the small story approach, this article explores practices of identity work and collective relationship building in the group chat of an adolescent basketball team. It is shown that both the establishment and maintenance of group identity is a complex task that must be dealt with both on a linguistic level, e.g. through alignment strategies, and on a content-related, thematic level.