Sports Symbols and Public Participation: A Study on the Effect of La'eeb's Interactive Ritual Chain

Abstract

In 2022, the first "zero carbon mascot" of the World Cup, La'eeb, was unveiled at the opening ceremony and caused discussion among netizens and fans. A large number of netizens were attracted by it, and there was a continuous stream of forwarding, discussion, and short videos in the circle of friends, even setting off a wave of imitation on the internet. Therefore, this article will study the good communication effect and interactive ritual chain formed by the microsocial symbol La'eeb in social media networks through the questionnaire. It is found that during the Qatar World Cup, topics triggered by the dissemination and selection of La'eeb gathered and engaged in relatively hot and lasting interactions between Internet users and viewers watching the World Cup, which reflects the development of micro social communication symbols on the theory of interactive rituals in the micro context of interpersonal interaction. To a certain extent, La'eeb has a significant effect on the promotion of Qatar World Cup events.