Twitter, Team GB and the Australian Olympic Team: representations of gender in social media spaces

Abstract

Twitter is used by athletes, sporting teams and sports media to provide updates on the results of sporting events as they happen. Unlike traditional forms of sports media, online sports media offers the potential for diverse representations of athletes. The current study examined gender in social media coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games using a third wave feminist lens. The analysis focused on the Twitter pages of 'Team GB' and the 'Australian Olympic team' and the sports stories and images posted during the Rio Olympic Games. Despite a number of traditional differences in the ways that male and females were represented being present, such as the presence of 'active' images of male athletes accompanying sports stories and the presence of infantalization in the language used to represent female performers, this analysis demonstrated significant strides forward in terms of the quantity of coverage received by women in online spaces. It further highlights virtual platforms as dynamic spaces for the representation of women athletes.

A Social Media Analysis of the Gendered Representations of Female and Male Athletes During the 2018 Commonwealth Games

“…This is in contrast to previous findings that suggest reporting of female athletes is dramatically underrepresented in sports media (e.g., Cooky et al, 2013;Cooky et al, 2015). The study lends support to a scarce amount of research that suggests digital spaces (e.g., social media) are linked to increases in coverage of female athletes (Litchfield & Kavanagh, 2019). Further, in terms of the selection of coverage and frame building, Twitter postings focused more on sports facts and event specifications, which could be explained by the equal medal opportunities afforded to female and male athletes at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.…”

“…The advent of online media has provided a dynamic space for reporting sports (Litchfield & Kavanagh, 2019). As technology develops, sports organizations and broadcasting companies have increasingly utilized new media, such as social media platforms to connect with their audience and disseminate information at a more rapid rate (Litchfield & Kavanagh, 2019). As noted by Hutchins and Mikosza (2010), online media has become an important medium for the promotion and communication of sporting events and athletes.…”

“…For instance, women were more likely to be described for their physical poise, playing approach, or as having good luck or fortune, as well as their physical appearance. Litchfield and Kavanagh (2019) examined the representation of male and female athletes on Twitter during the Rio Olympic Games 2016 and revealed the presence of gender marking in the social media space. Although the study has found an increased coverage of female athletes, ambivalence and infantilization are still present in sports reporting.…”

“…Although the study has found an increased coverage of female athletes, ambivalence and infantilization are still present in sports reporting. Women athletes continue to be reported as "girls" and "young ladies" whereas male athletes are rarely referred to as "boys" (Fink, 2015;Litchfield & Kavanagh, 2019;Wensing & Bruce, 2003). Nevertheless, the sample size of Litchfield and Kavanagh's (2019) study was limited to only 1,455 Twitter posts and focused on social media handles of two sports teams, which were the Australian and Great Britain Olympic teams.…”

“…Nevertheless, limited research has investigated the social media representation of athletes in mega sporting events. Within the handful of studies, most have focused on social media content posted by news and sports organizations (see for example, Litchfield & Kavanagh, 2019) with little attention to those made by the general public.…”