Framing Access and Aspiration: The Evolution of Family Park’s Promotional Discourse, 2014–2025

Abstract

This paper examines the longitudinal evolution of Family Park’s promotional discourse in Cairo between 2014 and 2025, highlighting how commercial, moral, civic, and technological narratives collectively shape the governance of a commodified, quasi-public park space. Drawing on a purposive sample of 324 Facebook posts, the study employs multimodal discourse analysis and engagement metrics to investigate how textual and visual framings legitimize paid, digitally mediated leisure, and influence user interaction. Findings reveal that promotional communication functions as a form of soft governance, defining who belongs in the park, which behaviors are valued, and what constitutes appropriate participation. Commercial/Marketing framing is dominant, consistently reinforced by educational, cultural, and family-oriented narratives, while secondary frames operationalize these values through repeated calls for engagement, payment, and digital interaction. Engagement analysis shows that emotional resonance drives interaction more than informational content or caption length, amplifying curated visions of family life, cultural celebration, and consumption. Overall, paid and digitally mediated leisure is framed as responsible, modern, and socially desirable, subtly reshaping the meaning of publicness without formal exclusion. The study contributes to research on urban park governance, moral economies of consumption, and platform urbanism by demonstrating how social media communication extends governance into moral, cultural, and technological domains. It provides a framework for understanding how discourse, organizational practices, and socio-spatial context interact to normalize commercialized leisure in ostensibly public spaces. For policymakers and park managers, the findings underscore the importance of reflexive communication strategies that balance financial sustainability with social inclusion, ensuring that promotional messaging does not unintentionally narrow access or public value.