Athletes and Social Media – A Match Made In … Well, Somewhere
The rise of social media has been a gold mine for sports fans. First, sports blogs – like the essential Deadspin and Kissing Suzy Kolber, which is currently the apex of American sportswriting – cut through the veneer of hero worship and an almost mysticism that had been a part of sports coverage, and stopped taking games and athletes and those that covered them, so seriously. But social media tools, chiefly Twitter and UStream, have given athletes a direct line to fans without the filter of the media, agents and the leagues they play in.
More specifically, the absence of filter has allowed the, ahem, eccentricities of some athletes to shine through. This isn’t always a good thing, but it’s certainly entertaining. Some highlights that range from hilarious to genuinely sad.
Chad Ochocinco: A Bit Crazy, But Hilarious
By just reading him name, it’s pretty easy to see that Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco is a bit different. The former Chad Johnson (he had his name legally changed) has embraced both Twitter and UStream with a passion. Since joining Twitter on May 16 of this year – 102 days ago – Ochocinco has Tweeted 6,679 times. That’s an average of 65.5 Tweets per day, which is … just mind blowing. He’s called out reporters, the NFL and updated us on every mundane detail of his life. He even mourns the inability of Jennifer Aniston to keep a steady boyfriend. “The Chad Ocho Cinco Show” on UStream is pretty much the same thing – hours and hours of Ochocinco’s life: Leading a locker room tour at the New England Patriots’ stadium before a game, sitting at his Web cam talking to fans for literally hours on end, or watching football with friends.
Stephon Marbury: Star Wreck
Anyone who has followed Marbury’s NBA career can tell you the storyline: An immensely talented athlete storms the league for a year or two, then starts to fade as doubts about his commitment and discipline surface. Time passes and he becomes an overpaid bench warmer until he stops playing, or even suiting up, at all. Then he gets a huge star tattooed on his bald head. Now out of the NBA and assumedly unsure of what to do next, Marbury decided to live stream his life for a weekend in late July. The result was an outlandish 72 hours in which Marbury claimed to see Jesus in his shower, got angry at … something, broke down crying while listening to a Kirk Franklin song, and, best of all, got into what seemed like a hit-and-run accident while streaming live in his car:
Michael Beasley: An Actual Sad Story
While Ochocinco is just a weird guy having fun, and Marbury is dancing around the edges of sanity while somehow not stepping outside the lines, Michael Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, started a three-day spiral last weekend that ended with him checking into rehab, by posting a picture of his new tattoo to his Twitter account. In the bottom corner of the picture was what looked like a rolled up bag of marijuana. Sports blogs quickly pointed out the potential indiscretion and, as the news gained momentum, Beasley posted a couple more updates to (now shut down) Twitter account:
“Y do I feel like the whole world is against me!!!!!!! . . . I can’t win for losin!!!!!!!!!!”
“Feelin like it’s not worth livin!!!!!!! I’m done”
“not feelin this at all!!!!!”
The next day, he checked into rehab and his father announced that he was going to get treatment for depression.
There are countless athletes who use the Web and use it well: Shaq’s Twitter feed is a goldmine of hilarity, and Washington Redskins’ tight end Chris Cooley is a social media machine. But there seems to be something about social media that enhances that special brand of crazy that can only come from being handed millions of dollars and unlimited fame at age 20.
iPhone 3GS: The New Auteur
Add “filmmaker” to the lengthy list of things the iPhone can do. In a stroke of DIY genius, Seattle hip-hop group Dyme Def recorded a video for its song “I’m Gone” entirely on the iPhone 3Gs, using the phone’s new video capabilities. The video obviously has that homemade feel and a little of the shaky, bendy quality you get from camera phones, but it’s safe to say that’s what Dyme Def was going for. The whole thing has a very fun, spontaneous feel to it, as the group – obviously having a good time – walks through Westlake Center in downtown, while getting stared at by passing pedestrians, picking up stragglers to march with them, and ultimately ending in a breakdance session.
It’ll be cool to see the proliferation of spontaneous, DYI video that will be an obvious byproduct of finally having a credible, widely used video platform for phones. The iPhone 3GS isn’t the first phone to do video, but it’s the first really popular phone to do it well. It’s not going to be too long until we send video around the same as we do text now.
Also, very cool to see hip-hop leading the way on this. Dyme Def is heading up a resurgent and extremely creative Seattle rap scene, so this type guerrilla film making utilizing new tech isn’t surprising. Seattle is a major tech hub beyond the Bay Area and the hip-hop scene in the Northwest, though not always as vibrant as it is now, has a history of progressive thinking and music making.
Mind Over Manners
Since moving to California, where everyone has smart phones, I’ve long been stifling mild irritation with friends who, at dinner, would have their iPhones or BlackBerry’s out doing God-knows-what for minutes at a time. Could you really be that bored with the conversation and company that you would care to check Facebook again?
Social grace is a dying art. While the practices of manners and etiquette are seemingly lost on the digi-generates of this world – looking at you Hannah Montana fans – those of us that can recall our parents telling us to chew with our mouths closed and to use “please” and “thank you,” should figure something out in order to fight off this trend that threatens our last few shreds of civility. Our increasingly mobile selves, egged on by our much-beloved mobile devices, need to remember our manners.
In a panicked effort to reverse what I see as an impending doom of a lack of interpersonal connection and epidemic of self-involvement, I asked an expert for some guidelines here.
Mindy Lockard is an etiquette consultant based in Eugene, Oregon who runs a business, blog and a brand around all things manners and gentility and wouldn’t know you it, her pet peeve is “cell phones ringing in pubic.” Her online magazine, ManneroftheMonth.com, is an interactive publication that teaches manners and etiquette to everyday users as well as industry professionals. Mindy will take us beyond the norms of expectations, and to the polished heights of social graces. These are her words of wisdom.
Using Intelligence When Using Your Smart Phone
When I teach my “Cell Phone 101″ class to teens new to the mobile phone world, I often reflect – like my grandparents telling the story of walking up hill to school in 5 feet of snow – about the first cellular phone my mother had. This cellular relic would not be recognizable today since it came with its own case, was the size of a small piece of luggage, and had to be plugged into the cigarette lighter. Much has changed in the world of technology since those days in the early nineties, but while the jumbo models of the early nineties have slimmed down to tiny all-in-one devices, the value of those we are talking to or around hasn’t changed.
Occasions and events when it’s inappropriate
“Can you hear me now … ?” This infamous line from a commercial has become synonymous with the cellular phone industry, and the answer from those standing around us while we talk on our phones is, “YES. WE CAN HEAR YOU!” Keeping our smart phone conversations to a minimum in public places is the minimal amount of respect toward those near us. Even if we are surrounded by strangers, we should be mindful of their personal ear space. Step outside if you must take a call. In an airport or other setting where you can’t go outside, do your best to get away and take the call in an area that isn’t densely populated.
Texting, checking e-mail, Tweeting or updating status…
Public spaces are the best place to text because texting allows us to communicate without disrupting those around us. Of course, texting during a presentation or performance is inappropriate and disrespectful – it communicates to the performers or speakers that you aren’t interested in their efforts. During a movie, the lights on a phone and the clicking of buttons can be very distracting to fellow moviegoers. If you have to text, remove yourself from the performance and take care of your communication. Or, even better, save your communication until the end when you can go outside and return the call.
Texting, checking e-mail, Tweeting or updating status in front of other’s faces
Typing into our phones in front of others is just as disrespectful as talking on the phone in front of them. Even checking your phone to read the message should be avoided. Don’t try to hide your communication under the table or out of sight. Even if the phone isn’t visible, the top of your head while you text is, and the person in front of you will not be fooled. Just because the technology is easy and accessible doesn’t mean it should not be used with respect and discretion.
Making calls
When making a call, be prepared! Using smart phones makes it easier to conduct business in situations when you are not entirely focused because you are driving or out in public. Think before you make a call. Have all necessary information available. The sound of shuffling paper or delayed speech because you have lost focus will give the impression that you are disorganized or don’t care.
Remember to always ask at the beginning of the phone conversation, “Is this a good time?” or “Do you have 5 minutes to answer a couple of questions?” Asking about time or giving the amount of time you need will help you and the caller accomplish the tasks at hand.
Taking calls
If you are in the company of another person or in a situation where you can’t easily focus or don’t have the necessary materials available, ask the caller if you can call them back. Schedule a time that works well for both of you, then call when you say you will call.
When you take a call, stop and focus on the person calling. Always have paper and pen available to take notes, so when you return to the office, you will have the necessary documentation.
Should it be allowed at meals?
When dining or meeting face-to-face with another individual, turn your smart phone off unless you are expecting an emergency phone call. (By the way, your afternoon plans are not an emergency.) If you know you have an appointment at one o’clock and are leaving a message for a friend, tell the friend that you will be unavailable between one and two o’clock. Putting those in our presence “on hold” by taking a call non-verbally communicates that they are not as important as the person on the phone. Even if you ask the person in your presence if they mind and that person politely says, “It’s fine,” chances are they do mind and are merely trying to be polite.
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Please regard these with a “one step at a time” kind of attitude. It’s worth it – manners and etiquette are very becoming on you.
Recovering Reality Addict Step One: A Pledge
Here’s a little confession for you: I like “The Real Housewives” series. And “The Hills.” And various other reality shows. Yep, I said it. And I’m gonna go ahead and say that I’m probably not the only (relatively) normal, well-educated young professional that likes this garbage. I said that too. GARBAGE.
That aside, it’s just entertainment, right?! Like most of us, I work very hard, I pay my bills almost always on time, and if I want a little brain candy on a Tuesday night for 30 minutes to an hour, I think I’ve earned the right. But what happens when Speidi jumps out of my television screen and invades entirely too much of my virtual space after their 15 minutes of fame should have expired? Because believe you me, these days, it is starting to feel like Spencer is everywhere. And I’m scared.
When reality television first came into existence, the “stars” served duty in their respective time slot and that was it. Sure, a few Real World starlets parlayed their status into college campus tours, and Trista and Ryan regaled a few US Weekly covers with their undying devotion to one another. But as time progressed, and reality shows gained momentum and overall ridiculousness (“The Search for the Next Elvira” was a real show at one point), reality stars ascended into a stratosphere of self-imposed fame, running amok among the legitimately famous like Frankenstein’s Monster. I can barely read NYMag.com anymore without seeing Jon Gosselin in an Ed Hardy t-shirt. How did this happen?!
To be honest, as much as it pains me to say it, we* did this. “We” tuned in to watch, “we” read Perez Hilton’s blog, and the next thing you know we’re following Bethenny Frankel on Twitter and learning how to make a Skinny Girl Margarita. Our devotion to these folks in an arena that should be reserved for those worthy of our time is what’s gotten us to this point. It’s like a slow decline into meth addiction that needs an “Intervention“-like breakthrough moment to pull us out.
As we all know, the last 2-3 years have been a tailspin of growth for more mediums of virtual entertainment, creating even more platforms for reality show participants to gain exposure, create spin offs, and remain overwhelmingly present in the virtual world. Katie Couric has 40,000 followers on Twitter. Heidi Montag has half a MILLION. Not to mention a slew of other ventures in the works: fashion, books, music all being “leaked” and routed through You Tube, Facebook and Tumblr. There is no escape from Mrs. Spencer Pratt.
Or is there? порно фото блондинок
I’m making a pledge: From here on out I pledge to be a responsible reality television viewer. I will put DOWN the remote once the show has ended and leave it at that. No more gossip blogs or TMZ.com. We too can be responsible participants in the world of social media, following The Michelle Obama News Twitter feed and not Whitney Port’s. Michelle’s hubby said it best: “YES WE CAN!”
I suppose the MTV producers knew putting Heidi on MTV was like giving alcohol to an alcoholic – this circus-like worship of reality celebs was the inevitable. Now it’s time to enroll in AA. Actually, make that RA.
*Please note that “we” is only referring to those of us that actually partake in reality entertainment.