Social Media And Student-Athletes

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Periscope or Vine; how do you like your social media? Judging by a recent poll, you like the rest of the country like your social media in multiple platforms. As of January 2014, 74% of adults using the internet used some form of social media according to Pew research. Of that 74% of adults using social media, with 40% accessing these sites on mobile devices. There are millions of users worldwide but since August 3rd, not a single one of those users is a member of the Clemson University football team.

That’s right, NO social media for the Clemson Tigers.

Well this isn’t the first time Coach Swinney and his staff have imposed the ban. The Tigers have been “eliminating distractions” since 2012. That’s right; this will be the fourth straight season in which the Tigers will refrain from posting on any form of social media. The players are still allowed to check their Twitter feeds or look at an Instagram photo, just no posting. While this ban isn’t new to Clemson, it sure caught the rest of the world by surprise when Sports Illustrated first reported the Tigers 2015 ban.

Some called the ban childish, while others defended it.

Just got a text from a coach seeing this. “It’s nuts. ‘Come to Clemson. We’ll treat you like you’re 8 yrs old.'” https://t.co/On4Vh53Drv

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 15, 2015

“Distractions are the enemy of greatness” @JonGordon11 https://t.co/5kDiXHB0Ng

 

— Coach Jeff Scott (@coach_jeffscott) August 15, 2015

The response to the ban shows that just like there is more than one theory on which is the best offensive scheme to run, there is more than one thought on how to manage a team’s use of social media.

We are all aware of that what happens on the internet, stays on the internet. FOREVER, just ask ESPN’s Cris Carter. Perhaps the fear of someone doing something that could potentially bring a black eye to the university of football program is the true reason for the ban or maybe the Tigers really believe that eliminating the distractions of social media really helps win football games. (Clemson has gone 32-7 over the last three seasons.) Whatever the reason, Clemson has decided that this is the best policy for them. Other universities have however taken other approaches.

South Carolina (coincidentally Clemson’s arch rival) has taken a completely different approach to social media for its student-athletes. The Gamecocks have included social media lessons in the university’s new Student-Athlete Experience class. The course is mandatory for all new Gamecock athletes. Brittany Lane, South Carolina’s Assistant Director of Marketing for Digital and Social Media, who leads the athletics department’s social media education efforts told gamecocksonline.com that she thinks the most important message is to use social media as a tool to build a personal brand or image and also protect that image.” She went on to say “A lot of what we talk about is that, for student-athletes in particular, social media isn’t just a way to communicate with their friends any more. They’re in a position of higher visibility than they were before they arrived on campus. That comes with a greater responsibility.” South Carolina believes that social media education should be more than just telling student-athletes what not to do. USC emphasis to its student-athletes that they are responsible for what they post, but also teaches the Gamecock athletes how to properly use social media.

Clemson’s ACC foe, Georgia Tech has also taken a different approach to social media usage by its student-athletes. Earlier this summer, Georgia Tech Assistant AD for Communications and Public Relations Chris Yandle hosted a social media session for Yellow Jacket freshman. In the session he underlined Georgia Tech’s belief that the school is here to educate the student-athletes and promote positive social media usage. Yandle even went as far as streaming the session live on Periscope. Yandle is considered a thought leader across the industry for the evolution of modern sports information. ICYMI, last month, I had the opportunity to sit down in a podcast with the 2014 COSIDA Rising Star Award winner, where among other topics, we spoke on how to use social media correctly.

As social media continues to evolve, coaches and universities will continue to both embrace the changes and accept social media as a part of everyday life or continue to see it as a major distraction. But no matter the view, failure to understand social media and educate student-athletes on the proper way to use it cause more harm than good. Perhaps the simplest way and best way to use social media can be summed up in one tweet:

Two questions for student-athletes to ask before hitting SEND: What can I gain from posting this? What could I lose by posting this?

— Fieldhouse Media (@fieldhousemedia) August 25, 2015