With the London Olympics right around the corner, the Web’s
been abuzz with stories about the summer’s main event and perhaps more
interestingly, the Olympians themselves. The 2012 Olympics have been deemed the
“first
social Games,” and we’re interested to see the Internet’s role in the
upcoming weeks. Let’s take a close
look at just how helpful this social media frenzy has been/will be for the
Olympics proceedings.
The Twitter Trap
For some of the athletes competing in London this summer,
social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have become nothing short of
a publicity nightmare. Just ask
Australian swimmers Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk, who regrettably uploaded a
photo of themselves to Facebook from a California shooting range in which their
main props were, of course, guns.
The controversial pic led to the decision that the two men must leave
the Games immediately after their competition ends, along with a month-long ban
from social media entirely. Bummer.
 |
| Gun-toting Aussies |
As for three-time Olympic gold medalist (and fellow Aussie)
Stephanie Rice, a tweet including a picture of the swimmer in a—get this—swimsuit
had plenty talking. Given, the
tweeted bikini was slightly less conservative than her Olympic pool garb, but
from the talk on the Web one might not have been surprised to see her banned
from Twitter too (she wasn’t).
 |
| Rice's edgy bikini |
The Inconvenience of TV
On the other hand, social media is opening countless new
doors to experiencing the Olympics and interacting with fellow enthusiasts.
For example, for those of you not watching the live
television broadcast of the archery competition at 3 a.m., behold the almighty
power of the online recap. A
simple search or Facebook/Twitter browse can easily reveal the winners of any
late-night or early-morning event you might have missed, not to mention the
availability of YouTube videos or other online live streams.
Find out when your favorite events will be broadcast here.
Despite the apparent social media curse on Australian
swimmers, it looks like the Web may be the perfect forum for the London
Games. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
and even Pinterest are likely to generate more interest in this summer’s
Olympics than previously, and even Olympic sponsor P & G (Procter & Gamble)
turned to YouTube with their “Raising an
Olympian” campaign.
Ultimately, we expect to see plenty of online Olympics commentary and
are eager to see how social media reshapes the Games in the years to come.
Until next time,
MARA JOFFE
Blogger
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