More than what meets the eye: An evaluation of Olympic and Paralympic athletes' Instagram posts.
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Human Kinetics
Faculty Sponsor
Paula van Wyk
Proposal
The Olympics and the Paralympics are two of the largest multi-sport events in the world. In the past, traditional media such as television, played a primary role in shaping the ways in which athletes were portrayed. However, with the emergence of social media and its user-generated content, athletes have gained more control over how they may be perceived. As the Olympics and Paralympics aim to represent social movements, these Games could be greatly influenced by the widespread reach of their athletes’ social media. More specifically, the manner in which Olympians and Paralympians present themselves on social media may influence perceptions and awareness of the Olympics’ and Paralympics’ goals and values (e.g., inspiration, development, awareness, sponsorship, etc.). Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine if Olympians’ and Paralympians’ Instagram posts (i.e., images and videos) reflected the values and goals of their respective Games. Using a coding scheme that was developed based on the mission statements and values outlined in the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, the posts from the Instagram accounts of six 2018 Olympians and six 2018 Paralympians were analyzed across four time periods. The preliminary results suggested that the values and goals of the Olympics and Paralympics were underrepresented within the athletes’ posts. Of all coded variables related to the Movements, acceptance (81%) was the most highly represented. The variables that were least represented were development (6%) and physical readiness (i.e., focus on being able to perform; 4%). This underrepresentation may be contributed to this study examining the athletes’ personal accounts, inherently suggesting that the posts were aimed at representing the individual, rather than the organization. Future research should examine the Instagram accounts of the respective organizations to determine if their posts better represent the goals and values.
Location
Windsor, ON
Grand Challenges
Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
More than what meets the eye: An evaluation of Olympic and Paralympic athletes' Instagram posts.
Windsor, ON
The Olympics and the Paralympics are two of the largest multi-sport events in the world. In the past, traditional media such as television, played a primary role in shaping the ways in which athletes were portrayed. However, with the emergence of social media and its user-generated content, athletes have gained more control over how they may be perceived. As the Olympics and Paralympics aim to represent social movements, these Games could be greatly influenced by the widespread reach of their athletes’ social media. More specifically, the manner in which Olympians and Paralympians present themselves on social media may influence perceptions and awareness of the Olympics’ and Paralympics’ goals and values (e.g., inspiration, development, awareness, sponsorship, etc.). Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine if Olympians’ and Paralympians’ Instagram posts (i.e., images and videos) reflected the values and goals of their respective Games. Using a coding scheme that was developed based on the mission statements and values outlined in the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, the posts from the Instagram accounts of six 2018 Olympians and six 2018 Paralympians were analyzed across four time periods. The preliminary results suggested that the values and goals of the Olympics and Paralympics were underrepresented within the athletes’ posts. Of all coded variables related to the Movements, acceptance (81%) was the most highly represented. The variables that were least represented were development (6%) and physical readiness (i.e., focus on being able to perform; 4%). This underrepresentation may be contributed to this study examining the athletes’ personal accounts, inherently suggesting that the posts were aimed at representing the individual, rather than the organization. Future research should examine the Instagram accounts of the respective organizations to determine if their posts better represent the goals and values.