Penalties Off the Field: Exploring Social Media Policies for Student Athletes at Universities

Authors

  • Blake McAdow
  • Jong-Hyuok Jung Texas Christian University
  • Jacqueline Lambiase Texas Christian University
  • Laura Bright

Keywords:

social media policy, student athlete, uses and gratifications, social cognitive theory, communication privacy management

Abstract

University student-athletes and their teams rely on social media to communicate with their fans, and these interactions may be beneficial for teams and athletes alike. But social media use also carries risk if an offensive photo or statement goes viral. Using frameworks from social cognitive, privacy, and uses and gratification theories, this article captures the status of university social media policies for athletes through content analysis and interviews. The findings outline strategies for monitoring, penalizing and rewarding athletes for their online interactions.

Author Biographies

Blake McAdow

Blake McAdow graduated in 2016 with his Master of Science in Strategic Communication from Texas Christian University. 

Jong-Hyuok Jung, Texas Christian University

Jong-Hyuok Jung is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication in the Bob Schieffer College of Communiation at Texas Christian University. His major research interests include advertising effectiveness in the new media environment, interactive advertising and consumer behavior. Especially, he is interested in the use of mobile devices as advertising media.

Jacqueline Lambiase, Texas Christian University

Jacqueline Lambiase, Ph.D., serves as department chair in Strategic Communication in TCU's Bob Schieffer College of Communication, where she has taught public relations, writing, diversity, ethics, and case studies for about eight years. Her research focuses on public sector communication, social media, and gender and advertising.

Laura Bright

Laura F. Bright, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Strategic Communication in the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at Texas Christian University and co-director of the Certified Public Communicator program. Her research focuses on social media addiction and fatigue, big data and personalized advertising, and citizen engagement online. Professionally, she has spent over a decade working in the interactive advertising business in Austin, Texas and currently consults various companies and organizations on optimizing their digital presence. For more information, please visit www.brightwoman.com or follow her on Twitter @lbright.

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Published

2017-12-19