When Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, made his appearance during the Olympics Opening Ceremony he tweeted the message “This is for everyone.” The message was seen not only on the feed of all his followers, but on screens around the stadium and consequently by millions of people watching the ceremony from home. The internet has allowed for instant global communication, and social media provides powerful services that give every person a voice. These voices are exposed to the public, and everybody is allowed to speak their mind freely, for better or worse. Some use common sense, while others can have a social media fumble.
This is for everyone
#london2012#oneweb#openingceremony@webfoundation@w3c— Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) July 27, 2012
Professional athletes have long since used Twitter and other social media services to keep in touch with their fans. However, Olympic athletes will have to be extra careful about what they post. The IOC has posted a four page .pdf guideline for proper online behavior for the competitors. According to the guidelines, all social media posts must be in “diary form” and must “conform to the Olympic spirit.” They also must gain permission from other athletes before posting pictures of them, and are not allowed to post any video or sound recorded within an Olympic venue.
Already there have been many social media related scandals.
Back in June, Australian swimmers Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk created a stir when they posted photos of themselves posing with pistols and shotguns at a gun shop. As punishment, the Australian Olympic committee decided to ban them from social media during the games, and to send them home immediately after their events. The consequences for their actions may seem a bit harsh, considering that shooting is an actual Olympic event and the photo neither depicted nor implied any violence.
Earlier this month, Greek jumper Voula Papachristou was kicked off the team for tweeting a racist joke that insulted African immigrants. Her comment violated the “Olympic spirit” clause of the IOC’s guidelines, so she was expelled from the games. Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella must not have heard about that though. He was also expelled for a racist tweet against South Koreans after his loss against them. We can only hope that other athletes take note and are more aware of the messages they send out.
Not all scandals regarding these guidelines involve vulgar behavior from the athletes. With a somewhat more “noble” cause, some athletes are protesting the unfair limitations that the IOC has placed on them. Using the tags #WeDemandChange and #Rule40, athletes are complaining about their inability to promote their sponsors through social media while at the Olympics. Since the official Olympics sponsors pay big money for the right to have their names and logos attached to the events, the IOC goes to great lengths to prevent “ambush marketing” from other companies. As a result, many athletes feel like their livelihood is jeopardized if they can’t plug the companies that are supporting them.
Social media can also be a bit of a double edged sword. Some athletes are claiming that the inspiration given to them by a simple “good luck” on their Twitter feed can give them that little extra boost they need. Meanwhile other athletes have stated that spending too much time online can often distract them and keep them from becoming focused enough to compete.
The athletes aren’t the only ones running into trouble for their tweets. One British teenager was arrested for making rude comments towards swimmer Tom Daley. The controversial post mentioned that Daley’s recently deceased father would be disappointed in Daley for not winning a medal. That the teen would be taken in by the police is a bit odd, since there was no threat of violence. In any case, words spoken online are definitely taken very seriously.
It’s a bit disappointing that what are being deemed the first “Social Media Olympics” are so riddled with controversy. The IOC is by no means discouraging athletes from using social media. In fact, they’ve created an Olympic Athlete’s Hub in order to have one centralized location where fans can keep up with the latest posts from their favorite athletes. Watching the Olympics has always been a social event. And it still is, though the way that people experience the events may be different. Fans today can create a more personalized experience catered to their interests. They don’t have to sit through the gymnastics games in order to watch the track races. They can even be in direct contact with whoever they’re rooting for. Yet it is clear that the Olympic committees, sponsors, and athletes have many differences to reconcile. Let’s hope we can all learn from this, and create a better Olympic experience in 2016