I saw a tweet by ICE T on my timeline from a yesterday that said, ” Trust me…If we didn’t have cameras…This would ALL be denied.” I’m sure you understand what ICE T is referring to. I believe there is a lot of truth to his statement, and it really made me think deeper into everything that has impacted this 2020 year. I’m grateful for the ability to receive up-to-date live information whenever I want or need to. This is especially true when it comes to the things our country is dealing with right now. With this ability to get information instantly it becomes very important to find credible sources, because if we don’t we could find ourselves in a civil war. I would much rather find ourselves part of a revolution that moves our people in this country forward, beyond racism. No doubt social media has its drawbacks, but if used correctly it can have a positive impact on everyone of us. And it has, otherwise we wouldn’t keep going back.
Social media has had a major impact on the sporting world, and I believe that impact is largely positive. Social media has allowed us as fans to get to know our favorite athletes on a more personal level without ever having to meet them. We get to see what they eat, the way they train, what they like to do away from their sport, and possibly even have a back and forth conversation with them. How cool is that? Definitely opportunities are parents never had.
For the athletes they have an opportunity to build their brand. This seems to be very popular among the major high school athletes who post their final 5 schools on Twitter before making a decision on where to pay in college. As for professional athletes, social media platforms allow them to connect with their fans, and even speak out on sensitive topics that affect our country. I think this is important, because at least in my world athletes are some of the most influential people in regards to progressing change. Also, those athletes that can build a large positive following through social media have the ability to generate large contracts through sponsors.
For sport organizations, social media has become a very fiscal way to market their brand. If they can hire an employee who is very good at manipulating social media platforms, us as consumers can be hypnotized by these organizations. With the ability to communicate with our favorite organizations it makes feel like we are more a part of the team than ever before. When they can reel us in like this we will be fans forever.
Obviously, if used incorrectly social media can turn into the proverbial dumpster fire. Negative actions, negative comments, or comments taken the wrong way (just ask Drew Brees) can have lasting negative effects. This is why college athletes and professional rookies get trained on the appropriate ways to use social media.
Chenghao Ma believes that social media is the most important tool that sport organizations and athletes can use today to promote their brand. I have a hard time disagreeing with him on this.
Have you found similar advantages through the use of social media in your everyday life? If so, what was your strategy to advancing your brand when you don’t have the same publicity as a high profile athlete?
-Josh
Mach's Mind 