It’s arguable that the most recent iteration of the Winter Olympics has been of note more for the unpreparedness of its host country than for feats of exceptional athleticism. My favorite story thus far, however erroneous, was the fictional account of one, T. Borris Avdeyev’s death after he failed to animate the fifth Olympic ring during the opening ceremonies. It was a nice piece of satire by the Daily Currant, I recommend checking it out. Beyond the piece’s entertainment value, it serves as a great reminder of social media’s power to create a sensation. This leasson is one that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would be well served to learn from.
Parodies aside, consider the social media notoriety the Olympics have received because of what has happened.
Pictures of Sochi’s woefully under-prepared infrastructure and stories reporting the destruction of natural resources for rural villages outside of the city litter the Internet. ‘Extreme sport’ superstar, Shaun White complained about halfpipe conditions. Humanitarians argue that holding the Olympics in Russia amounts to tacit endorsement of a national government responsible for grievous human rights violations. These issues have done little to eschew doubts regarding Sochi’s suitability in the eyes of critics, but the fact is that they have little to do with whether Sochi is considered a success or not. Success these days, paradoxically, has more to do with those not at the events because it’s all about the viewers. For that reason the IOC’s lack of a concerted social media effort has been curious. Why not draw more attention to the Olympic successes so that the shortcomings might be less prominent?
Whether you’re talking about Super Bowls, Academy Awards or the Olympics, an event’s successis increasingly being judged more by the spectacle surrounding it than by how its primary participants perform. Despite Peyton Manning folding like a lawn chair minutes after kickoff, its doubtful that Roger Goodell considers this past Super Bowl a failure because his organization made gobs of money during its telecast. The fact that my mother will graciously sit through ‘the football parts’ of a Super Bowl just to watch a 15-minute halftime show and a bunch of commercials underscores this conviction.
It’s with this modern reality in mind that the tepid acceptance of social media at the games seems so arcane. Early reports indicated that use of anything other than professional multimedia equipment by anyone other than professional photographers would be considered a serious violation and would be grounds for loss of journalistic accreditation. Fortunately, the policy was soon disavowed. Now journalists can only lose accreditation for posts that don’t ‘conform to the Olympic spirit and fundamental principles of Olympism as contained in the Olympic Charter.’ Journalists, keep your charters close.
I understand the need for rules to protect the dignity of the games. The IOC should recognize though, that it’s tough for one rogue journalist to outweigh the negative impact of misguided institutional policy. A bunch of arbitrary social media guidelines are likely more embarrassing than pictures of half constructed hotels and unpaved roads.
Rather than send mixed messages to journalists, the IOC should consider ways that social media can be used to make the Olympic sports more popular, and their athletes more publicized.
If trends like the #SochiProblems hashtag can teach the IOC anything, it’s that being proactive shouldn’t be equated with restriction. Nothing will stop social media trolls, but as we move into an era where Twitter engagement affects television ratings it’s more important than ever that we heed the power of social media. If the IOC wants to provide their viewers with the best experience possible, they should focus less on social media restriction, and more on interaction.
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Joe Ducar is a public relations intern for WordWrite Communications.
