Separate from discussing the games themselves, I'm curious about how you feel the intersection of social media and the Olympics are going.
In 2004, there was handwringing about bloggers and the like. In 2008, there was Facebook and Twitter, but with user bases only a fraction of what they are today. We didn't even have the iPad back then. Here in 2012, these services (and the devices to access them) are nearly ubiquitous. And that's been transformative in a positive way, and also a source of major headache and controversy.
The 'Socialympics' means that athletes can reach their fans without waiting for a news crew (which means they can say things they shouldn't and get thrown out of the games). It means tape-delayed viewers -- specifically, American viewers living several hours behind the action in London -- can be "spoiled" on the outcome of big contests before they see them. (A struggle we in Hawaii know well, here faced by the entire country.) And it means vocal criticism of broadcast partner NBC's handling of the games can make one of the biggest social media platforms overreact and prompt claims of censorship.
Are you encountering "Social media hurdles in [the] London Olympics"? Do you try to banish yourself from Facebook and Twitter and random radio and TV broadcasts to not get spoiled? Do you take it as a new fact of life and still tune in to see the spectacle? Do you find... other ways to watch the games live?
In 2004, there was handwringing about bloggers and the like. In 2008, there was Facebook and Twitter, but with user bases only a fraction of what they are today. We didn't even have the iPad back then. Here in 2012, these services (and the devices to access them) are nearly ubiquitous. And that's been transformative in a positive way, and also a source of major headache and controversy.
The 'Socialympics' means that athletes can reach their fans without waiting for a news crew (which means they can say things they shouldn't and get thrown out of the games). It means tape-delayed viewers -- specifically, American viewers living several hours behind the action in London -- can be "spoiled" on the outcome of big contests before they see them. (A struggle we in Hawaii know well, here faced by the entire country.) And it means vocal criticism of broadcast partner NBC's handling of the games can make one of the biggest social media platforms overreact and prompt claims of censorship.
Are you encountering "Social media hurdles in [the] London Olympics"? Do you try to banish yourself from Facebook and Twitter and random radio and TV broadcasts to not get spoiled? Do you take it as a new fact of life and still tune in to see the spectacle? Do you find... other ways to watch the games live?
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