The Olympics are one of the grandest stages of them all when it comes to sport. Athletes come from all over the world to participate in the global event. So when one athlete causes such an uproar via social media, it has to be taken seriously.
Voula Papachristou, a Greek triple jumper, was banned from this summer’s games and sent home after a social media blunder that included a racist tweet towards Africans in her home country of Greece. “With so many Africans in Greece, at least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food,” the tweet read. She was immediately sent packing by her home country after the tweet caused a backlash that included such comments as “Xenophobic comments from a Greek athlete in the Olympic mission are unacceptable. We are ashamed.” The athlete later apologized for her comments, but the damage had already been done.
With so many professionals connected to the social media world, it’s only a matter of time before someone slips up and makes a mistake on a social media platform. Some blunders are small and are easily forgotten, but others such as this one are remembered for a while and are prime examples of what not to do with social media.
With more, and more social media blunders popping up everyday, many professional and college teams are taking action. Some college coaches have even banned players from using social media sites, such as twitter. I believe that this is a correct step in protecting the brand image of the team and players involved. Social media is a valuable tool, but it can also do serious damage to a brands reputation if not handled correctly.
I’m glad someone did a post about this one because I thought it was such a great example of how easily and quickly social media can craft an image of a person or an organization. In 140 characters or less a detrimental mistake can be made that can never be erased. Not only did her tweet reflect badly on her, but it had the potential to reflect badly on the Olympics, which they couldn’t afford to risk. The Olympics likely would have received tons of negative comments and backlash from people around the world had they not taken action or had they remained silent in regards to the matter. This is a great example of how, even if you don’t make the social media mistake, someone else’s mistake can reflect on your organization. Social media is a hard thing to conquer. It has the potential to help your organization or company take off, but it also has just as much power to do some serious damage.
Advertising Age has started to look at financial effects for the television industry and how social media is being integrated into television programs.And many other source in all over world to show social media.