Menu Close

Team Blog

Delaying the inevitable

The London Olympic Games has been dubbed the Socialympics by many. It is the first to be held under the microscopic deconstruction provided particularly by Twitter but also by Face book and others.

The upsides are many and varied including the fast dissemination of information and the advent of so called second screen technology. But it also has a downside.

Once upon a time it was comparatively easy to avoid any mention of sporting results until you were able to watch the (usually) delayed telecast. You’d simply not turn on the television or sing loudly when the scores came on the radio. However, if you are in any way connected via social media you face problems of the highest magnitude. Simply, your network will see to it that you are kept up to date and informed whether you like it or not.

This inadvertent side effect has been especially felt in the US and the backlash has been severe, and typically an increase in spoof Twitter accounts and a commensurate number of tweets. In the US where NBC is delaying the telecast of nearly every event (including the opening ceremony) Twitter accounts such as NBCDelayed make for some impressive reading. They can be all encompassing and straight to the point; witty and cutting; or downright, thigh slappingly funny:

Twitter Feed from NBC Delayed.

The rise of Twitter as a means of engagement with sportsfans has seen to it that the way we consume sport has changed. Whilst NBC may have delivered record ratings so far, one has to wonder how long this will last?

Want to write?

Write an article and join a growing community of more than 181,000 academics and researchers from 4,921 institutions.

Register now