Today, anything that hits the news, grows larger and larger by the second. You learn one detail and continue on to learn more and more. The PSU scandal has been running it's way through sports networks and other new stations day after day for almost a week now. Between Twitter and Facebook, I have not heard any other news because the scandal is overshadowing other important things. Also, once people find something out, they just want to talk about it.
I don't agree with social media. It has almost become more important to people than the news today. If a small detail is discussed or leaked, the whole world knows about it within the minute. To our generation, we would rather use social media that we can get news from anywhere rather than from sitting in front of a television or newspapers. Where, I believe, there is some stories that are better written.
With the PSU scandal, Twitter especially has blown up with information. My issue is, that if you look within the timeline or even what friends may be saying on Facebook, it all has to do with Joe Paterno. What about the others who committed the crime? Why is nobody discussing them in their posts? I have read numerous tweets of people saying that they are rioting because he was fired, that deserved to be fired, or that he deserves to be in jail. I am always interested in others opinions when it comes to issues such as these. And as I have seen, it has become a giant blame game. Every person seems to be blamed for what is happening, except for the man that actually was the perpetrator. I believe that social media also puts words in the mouths of those who are involved in the scandal. It's like people poking noses where they should never be. We see the same issues occurring in sports day after day. I would think people would get tired of using media as a way to blame and put in their opinions.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind when other state their opinions. But as we have seen through athletes and other people of importance to us, their comments and opinions have sometimes blown things out of proportion. I know that this scandal is a big deal, but honestly I don't see it as affecting me, therefore, I don't want to really get too into what happened. That is for the investigators to find out. Twitter to me, is more for comments and thoughts on games and other things that we believe people would like to hear. It's a way to express yourself, not put down other people or to attack those who are already in a sticky situation. Yes, the issue is a bad one, but why does everyone in the world have to blame Paterno? If we blame him, we must blame the school, the students, the football program, and so on. Social media just finds another way to make scandals worse.
In a way, I can see social media being put to good use for sport management reasons. A person could blog about their business, or as many athletes and teams do, social media could be used to promote games, teams, and also personal foundations. Today it is a great way to get the word out to people so they can support use and our ideas. However, the way people speak on social media sites needs to be taken into consideration. It is also a great way to keep in touch and use networking skills to talk to those who we are not around. Social media is ever evolving though, so it will always take a different role in the way people use it in their daily lives.
Sarah Ambrose
KIN 577
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