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Social Media (Michael Figueroa Sanchez)

Social media is one of the most interesting things out there. On the one hand it’s a great thing that has helped us connect with people all around the world. On the other hand, it’s lead to disastrous things. I for one can never get social media. That doesn’t take away from the fact that social media is revolutionary almost; something that can keep us connected and informed about the world and others. I mean I use it to keep in touch with what’s going on in the world but that’s pretty much it. I wouldn’t consider myself a social media user. It basically boils down to watching interesting videos. All I can really do is keep up with what’s going on in the world and to stay connected with friends and family. In everything else I am pretty much lost, but I also get that it’s not for everyone. It could be because I was never raised on it or just general cluelessness, but social media is something I could never grasp for myself, which is kind of a detriment since it’s a primary factor for marketing and basically getting yourself out there. Many companies use it to market themselves to a wider audience or to show off a product, and many make a career out of it and are able to gain millions of followers. As for sports, specifically soccer, the sport I love the most, social media has become engrained into it more than ever. Players aren’t just seen as athletes, but superstars and celebrities. Many of the biggest names are the ones that have the highest follower count and have the most brand recognition. Players such as Messi and Ronaldo are so big that they aren’t just recognized as soccer players, but full-blown celebrities and icons. Players aren’t only bought for their ability on the field, but sometimes for their follower count and pull power, and there’s no better example than David Beckham going to Real Madrid, back when he was a global superstar with millions of followers. Other examples include Neymar Jr, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and so on and so forth. You can tell that sports and social media have become so engrained with each other that it is virtually impossible to separate the two, and the same could be said with other industries as well, such as movies and entertainment, news, etc. I am taking a class, though, about social media that I hope I will be able to help me understand how it is that information is able to be spread out so rapidly and how social media could help me in my everyday life. I’m hoping it can teach me the things I mentioned before, as well as seeing how social media can be used and how it impacts the world of sports, more specifically soccer, since it is my favorite sport and the one I would love to have a career in, either as a coach, analyst, or broadcaster.