The Pressures of Social Media Are Here

A social media tragedy can strike at any time, and the days are gone when the AD or school administration can claim they were not aware.  It is very obvious the trouble that can be caused by social media if students are not educated and made aware of these risks.  Athletic department staff must know and understand how prominent social media is in society, especially to younger generations.

In 2016, social media’s popularity is widely employed, helping businesses, organizations, public figures, and even average individuals to meet specific goals, regardless of their nature.  Users have the advantage of adapting, manipulating, and targeting their social strategies to directly benefit a variety of results. Due to social media’s obvious influence, some colleges and universities have begun implementing courses focused on social media best practices.  Maybe the institution’s next step is to address underlying pressures and harmful effects of the modified, unrealistic images constantly seen over social media.

We rely heavily on social media marketing initiatives to help accomplish our objectives. In fact, with 70% of the US population, and 90% of young adults active on social media, colleges and universities have witnessed its penetrating reach, and have optimized on its capabilities in order to draw the attention of prospective students. For example, Jason Boucher, Social Media Coordinator for UNH, reveals that, “One photo taken can amplify your message across many social networks within seconds.” At the same time, Kayla Germain, E-Media Coordinator at The College of Saint Rose, uses a different, but just as profitable approach, stating that, “Social media has been key for us and has been a great audience connector, not only with prospective students, but with prospective parents.” And sitting at the top of Student Advisor’s Top 100 Social Media Colleges list is Harvard University, with Yale University placing fourth after recently launching their presence on Tumblr.  So while some institutions jump at the chance to introduce tactical social plans covering every relevant platform, and have even began training student athletes on how to use social media professionally, it’s much more difficult for these schools to address the underlying problems social media has proven to cause young adults.

So while on the outside, a student athlete may be owning his or her stature on campus as an ambassador for their school by maintaining compelling, appropriate social media accounts, the pressures they’re experiencing privately can result in heartbreaking ends, and in 2016, ignorance is an impossible defense. Throughout the years, the growing circumstance of social media’s toll on college students’ self-esteem has been detailed in popular publications such as USA Today, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, and more. Prestigious universities have even researched and titled the phenomenon, with Penn coining the term “Penn Face,” stating that, “Many a time individuals at Penn feel that those around them seem to be leading a life close to perfect. We live under the illusion that others, mainly upperclassmen, are on top of it all, causing us to feel overwhelmed.”

Meanwhile, Stanford University uses the term, “Duck Syndrome,” to describe the act of gliding calmly across the surface of the water, but paddling frantically underneath.  The issue has resonated so much that organizations are offering comprehensive services to attack these matters preemptively, allowing institutions, ADs, and coaches the peace of mind in ensuring their athletes have been made aware of social media’s risks, and have been armed with techniques to counter the emotional drain of social media’s burden.

Tending to a student athlete’s emotional health isn’t always a priority at colleges and universities, especially if the signs are not made obvious or the conversation has not been initiated, but with the growing anxieties associated with social media becoming quite clear, an institution just can’t ignore the issue any longer. We hope that student athletes want to be educated and looked after in a way that will help them to achieve prosperous, informed, healthy futures. Of course, the grave consequences associated with social media are much easier to disregard than to address, and a few years ago, avoiding the topic may have been possible, but now, thankfully, the troubling impact of social media has come to light, and every student athlete deserves the opportunity to bypass those obstacles with confidence.