Active Audience and Shifting Narratives in Social Media

By Jimmy Sanderson, Ph.D. (Sport and Social Media Scholar, Clemson University) – @Jimmy_Sanderson

Social media technologies play a prominent role in sports. Sports fans can customize information based on their preferences and also seek out interaction with athletes, coaches, reporters, and team employees. Sport organizations also have utilized social media in a variety of ways, including promoting games, integrating sponsors into social content, and highlighting community relations efforts.

Not surprisingly, social media has become a public relations tool for sport organizations. Although there are certainly benefits to using social media for public relations, there have been a number of cases where well-intended efforts have backfired and aggravated public relations issues.

Some notable examples include: The Baltimore Ravens live-tweeting Ray Rice’s press conference in May 2014, which included tweeting verbatim some of Rice’s comments that were rather unfortunate. Whle on one hand, the Ravens can be praised for transparency, perceptions were fostered that the organization was insensitive to domestic violence.

One benefit of social media is that it enables fans to easily access athletes and other team personnel. One of the more popular features that athletes and teams use to promote this engagement is a Twitter Q&A, where fans use a hashtag to submit a question that a player or team employee will then answer.

Making athletes and other personnel available is indeed a great strategy, however, there is some caution that needs to be involved. For example, Florida State University attempted a Twitter Q&A with quarterback Jameis Winston that predictably, went horribly wrong. More recently, in November the NFL Network attempted a Twitter Q&A with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that also went awry, likely due to Jones’ defense of Greg Hardy.

Another area where sport organizations engage in public relations via social media includes holidays. Yet, this too can create issues. For example, on Thanksgiving Day, the Washington Redskins tweeted out what appeared to be a very innocuous tweet, “Wishing you and your family a Happy #Thanksgiving” Again, while well-intended, the tweet was accompanied with the Redskins logo, which has been no stranger to controversy, and given the linkages between Native Americans and Thanksgiving, predictable criticism and pushback arose.

Social media endows audiences with an active voice. Thus, public relations is no longer a one-way street, but rather a two-way conversation wherein audiences can shift public relations narratives in entirely different directions, often in ways that escalate current issues. Additionally, given the volume of sports conversation on social media, particularly Twitter, these issues often find their way into mainstream news coverage, resulting in organizations being framed in very unfavorable ways.

Social media is not going away anytime soon, and the values and benefits it offers sport organizations warrant its continued use. However, when it comes to public relations, some important points to consider include:

• Is the issue being addressed a social one? In other words, if an organization is addressing a topic such as domestic violence, rape, or drug use, is social media the best platform to use? Careful consideration should be given here, including gauging the public reaction via social media searches. For example, if there is a sense that a player is not remorseful, putting that player’s apology on social media may be counter-productive, and a traditional press release may be a better option.

• If making a player/employee available for interaction via social media, what is likely to be the response? Certainly, there are always a segment of people who will “troll,” however, if a player/employee has had legal issues, it may be better to make another player/employee available, even if that player/employee is perceived to have less status. This can help avoid news articles that frame the organization as creating a predictable disaster.

• Be attentive of larger social issues and how an organization’s history and/or decision-making might influence how a public relations effort is perceived.

Most social media and public relations efforts that go awry are well-intended. Indeed, they often stem from efforts to engage fans, a positive organizational goal. Nevertheless the pushback and resistance can be swift and harsh, and create additional public relations issues.

Thus, taking a “pulse” of likely audience reactions before launching public relations efforts can help prevent unnecessary escalation. Indeed, sometimes NOT using social media is the more effective public relations strategy, particularly when social issues are involved.