Practising physical activities in public spaces may evoke a variety of emotional expressions,
particularly when an activity is considered novel and embarrassing. To date, there is limited
knowledge on emotional sharing concerning novel recreational activities in online context via
electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). We approach this knowledge gap by exploring online
discussions on Nordic walking, the purpose being to investigate emotional sharing in online
discussions concerning the activity. In our netnographic study, we analyse what kinds of
discrete emotions related to Nordic walking are shared online in different countries, what the
triggers of online emotional sharing are and what the outcomes expressed online by Nordicwalking practitioners are. We collected data from countries with various levels of Nordicwalking popularity and discovered four types of dynamics – negative spiral, positive spiral,
positive change and negative change – that add to the research concerning emotional sharing.