Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

[pzarquon]

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?

[tutusue]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

Saw you on the news last night, PZ, discussing this subject! I'm ok *for me* with Olympic results being "spoiled". Talent shows, not so much. Guess I'm more entertainment driven than sports driven!

[salmoned]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

I like being 'spoiled', or should I say 'well informed'. Knowing the outcome doesn't affect my enjoyment of the action [and I don't get upset nearly as much]. For instance, I know all life on earth will end someday, but I still enjoy the day to day action.

[scrivener]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

The Olympics are global. There's just no way to keep a muzzle on results now, 'though if one wishes to avoid spoilers it's certainly possible. I think this is why it doesn't bother me to hear spoilers before the network broadcasts; and I'm with Salmoned in not feeling a loss of enjoyment in the broadcasts just because I know the results.

It's different for other sporting events, including other sorta-global events like professional tennis or the World Cup. I don't enjoy the broadcasts of those nearly as much if I know the results, and go to great lengths to avoid spoilers. But it seems okay for the Olympics, and I think NBC (or whoever broadcasts the Winter Games from Russia in two years) should really consider its vast resources and provide both a live broadcast of the high-profile events AND its usual, edited, delayed broadcast, and that includes the opening and closing ceremonies.

Thanks to Twitter, I knew all about the opening ceremony, reading about it in waves as local broadcasts made their way across the time zones, long before they aired in Hawaii. It was actually kind of fun.

[lensperson]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

This stuff is all "Bread and Circus" .

stuff for the masses.
Petty squabbles about beach volleyball and skimpy outfits obscure real issues
like syria and deep political ops.

[Honoruru]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

I’m not as avid an Olympics fan as I used to be. Actually, I wasn’t planning to watch any of it this year, but as usual, I got caught up and have been watching quite a bit. I don’t mind knowing the results in advance. In fact, it’s pretty hard not to know what happened. You would have to go out of your way to keep from stumbling onto the results. So why not just admit it? Why not have live broadcasts and prime time replays?

[TATTRAT]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

personally, I think social media has changed, and will continue to change the way all of us get our info.

Seems like Twitter has been integrated into almost everything related to live sports, especially the Olympics, BUT as for news in general, it's all about the NOW NOW NOW, and most breaking, and "so and so tweeted". . .kind of crazy to think about.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

Since I dislike NBC's stranglehold on Olympics coverage (as well as the intensely America-centric focus they always have), I'm pleased to see results and information made available by other means.

It's unfortunate, however, that Twitter has severely damaged trust with its cooperation with NBC in temporarily shutting down the account of a reporter who panned NBC's coverage.

[TATTRAT]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

Since I dislike NBC's stranglehold on Olympics coverage (as well as the intensely America-centric focus they always have), I'm pleased to see results and information made available by other means.

It's unfortunate, however, that Twitter has severely damaged trust with its cooperation with NBC in temporarily shutting down the account of a reporter who panned NBC's coverage.

This is a very valid point as well, the coverage has been SO one-sided. . . and, in all honesty, it was almost funny to see Phelps "drop the ball", as well as a few other things where the US was SO over hyped, and then, poof, nothing. . .

the BBC coverage has been pretty darned good. I have been watching more of that in real time, than the NBC Coverage.

I am SUPER excited that Rugby will be coming back to the Olympics in 2016. It will be interesting to see what the next "big thing" in social media will be then, and how it will influence coverage through out the series. I still feel that we are at a point now where there is no turning back.

I am surprised that there aren't networks based SOLELY on user provided content, be it regional, or country wide. I think it's only a matter of time before something like that takes place. Even the local news here has a segment that responds to local tweeters, and includes tweets in stories.

[lensperson]

Re: Socialympics? Social Media meets the Olympics

Seems like those athletes were making like bunnies
Who could blame them.
London is a very interesting town but all the town was locked down.

I wonder what was going on in Liverpool, origin of the Mersy Beat.
The Beatles played often there.