In researching the Penn State Scandal via Twitter, three common themes have emerged. First, one who was uneducated on the matter may think Paterno himself was the perpetrator in this incident. Second, there is a lot of pressure on the Penn State football team to perform this weekend against Nebraska. Third, rioting students have used twitter as a platform to increase participation, ironically, they have been criticized on the same level as Paterno about where their support should reside.
Social media has allowed the scandal to resin across the country. Twitter gives everyone an equal voice, and people who know virtually nothing about the topic are making sure they put their two cents in. Because of social media, anything and everything about Penn State has turned to a negative. As the scandal is losing its luster and game day is approaching, there are glimmers of support sprinkled across social media outlets. However, the general consensus seems to be that Penn State is in the wrong, overall.
There have been strong movements of deviance in regard to the scandal. Riots have occured near the homes of all involved, and rocks were even thrown into Sandusky's home. The scandal is hands down one of the most prominent college scandals in history. The media has, in my opinion, taken the scandal to the next level. ESPN seems to have constant coverage of the developing story.
Social media, like all mediums, has its positives and negatives regarding those who use it. In regards to the Penn State scandal, Ashton Kutcher made a comment about this scandal in which he was uneducated about. Apparently this caused major problems with his fans, and his management took control of his twitter account because he could not handle using it himself. The Kutcher example may be extreme, but we should all keep moments like this perspective. Using social media can damage ones career with one click of send. As long as one is careful when using their social media accounts, they can very positive in terms of networking.
One quote I found seems to be very fitting for this scandal. . ."All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
T. Adams
KIN577
First, the topic of whether Joe Paterno acted improperly and did not do his job the right way, in terms of ethics and his responsibility as an authority figure, seems to be a very big topic of discussion. Some people are showing disapproval, and complete disgust, while other are showing support for Paterno. They are focusing on his many years of accomplishments and not this issue, as big as it may be. Another topic concerning Paterno, is whether or not "Paternoville" should remain the name. Again, through tweets, clearly people are mixed about this as well.
ReplyDeleteThe second common theme and thread that I saw by following the twitter world concerns the victims and their families of the sexual abuse. Their backgrounds, stories, repercussions for them, and injustice that they have been subjected to all are common threads. Sometimes I found that people did not show sympathy for the victims and this bothered me. Rather, they gave all the attention to the perpetrators.
The third and final theme that I noticed throughout twitter were that the actions of the Penn St students have been under a lot of negative critics, and deservedly so. Most people have looked down on them and believe their antics are not acceptable, and I agree.
In terms of the PSU scandal, social media has helped shaped it in a number of ways. Just as it does with any scandal or news of any kind, social media has informed the masses and educated the public on what has been going on. By turning on twitter, you can learn anything and everything on the scandal. At the same time, social media gives everyone a chance to speak out and express his or her own opinion. Whether these opinions are good or bad, everyone has a right to be heard, and this sharing of information is another form of education. In addition, because of social media, and the internet as well, this scandal has become a global event. The perpetrators have taken a lot of slack that they probably never would have received if social media was not available. Death threats, like the one to assistant coach Mike McQueary, have worsened the issue even more. The bottom line is that social media has made an extremely serious scandal, a very public issue.
This current college football scandal clearly embodies how power can be abused and deviance can be a bi-product of that power. Deviance is never acceptable, but with when the perpetrators have the power, deviance can go unpunished. Thankfully, the media is able to expose the truth and bring attention to a very serious issue. At the end of the day, media takes a lot of slack, but there are times when media can be productive, helping fight this deviance and injustice. Media bring
Social media has been and will continue to a powerful tool for sports managers. On the positive side, social media enables sports managers to connect with fans and customers, and engage them in ways that were not available before. They are able to keep them informed and build a sense of loyalty because they can constantly be in the mind of the community. It a free and effective way of marketing, and at the end of the day is a very powerful tool that sports managers can utilize.
Noah Nudell