Education on the Digital Terrain: A Case Study Exploring College Athletes’ Perceptions of Social-Media Training

Thinking Twice Before You Post: Issues Student‐Athletes Face on Social Media

“…Given these issues, some athletic departments are moving to a model where education, rather than monitoring, is the primary focus (Sanderson, Browning, & Schmittel, 2015a). Thus, rather than framing social media in negative ways, social media education centers on helping student-athletes see the benefits of social media.…”

“…Thus, rather than framing social media in negative ways, social media education centers on helping student-athletes see the benefits of social media. Sanderson et al (2015a) also observed that student-athletes seek training and guidance on social media, and as studentathletes are receptive to these endeavors, social media education can be a valuable way to promote a more collaborative approach between studentathletes and administrator through education that positions social media as a tool that can be used for good, while being aware of its risks.…”

Social Media in Higher Education

“…Although social media training and policies in athletics have become commonplace (Sanderson, Browning, & Schmittel, ), they are often reactionary and ambiguous (Sanderson & Browning, ) and there is little evidence to support the notion that training actually mitigates problematic, harmful, and controversial tweets (Sanderson & Browning, ). Only two studies have examined the content of athletics social media policies for athletes (Sanderson, ; Sanderson, Snyder, Hull, & Gramlich, ). In a study of social media policies at 159 Division I schools, Sanderson () found that policies were more likely to emphasize restrictions on content and heavy monitoring of social media platforms and less likely to educate student‐athletes on possible positive outcomes as a result of social media use.…”

“…In a study of social media policies at 159 Division I schools, Sanderson () found that policies were more likely to emphasize restrictions on content and heavy monitoring of social media platforms and less likely to educate student‐athletes on possible positive outcomes as a result of social media use. The restrictive language of social media policies was echoed in a study of 244 Division I, II, and III schools, where schools did not express the benefits of social media use (Sanderson, Snyder, Hull, & Gramlich, ).…”

“…Despite the prevalence of social media education for college athletes, little research has examined the efficacy of social media education and training and whether student‐athletes actually integrate and retain the education. Sanderson, Browning, and Schmittel () conducted a case study of college athletes at one Division I university and discovered that most messages college athletes received about social media education were often forgotten and rarely integrated into practice. With such a small sample at one university, further research needs to be conducted at more institutions, with different levels of competition (i.e., Division II & III), and could be separated out demographically, by team, and/or revenue and nonrevenue sports.…”