Advanced essay #3 - Keith Hodge (How social media thinks of the olympics)

Introduction:

My paper was about how social media thinks about the olympics and finding sources for this was not that hard. The two sources on social media were my starting points and I thought I can do it on social media itself but that topic is to broad. The one source I had on social media was about what is the american identity according to social media still a little to broad. Then I came across an article on how some olympic athletes compete with other countries even though they are a citizen in another so that made me think how would social media think of that and then I thought of my topic how does social media think of the olympics.

Essay:

The olympics are always a must watched event for the world whether it would be summer or winter and people love it. The olympics have been around for almost 120 years which is very impressive. While facebook and twitter have been around for about 12 years. Facebook came around during the 2004 summer games while twitter came around during 2006 winter games so facebook has seen 4 summer and 3 winter games while twitter has seen 3 summer and 3 winter games.

So if you have not figured it out by now my topic is how social media thinks about the olympics. Those two kind of make sense in a way because the olympics are a big event that happens and also social media is so huge now and if something happens in the olympics then social media talks about it and it will trend and go world wide. For example someone wins a couple gold medals or they become the best olympian ever such as michael phelps winning his record 28th olympic medal and 23rd olympic gold medal. Or even the two diving pools turning green went viral on social media even though it got annoying people loved it and kept sharing it.

The first source that I read was Ghosts in the machine it is a article about social media and how we mourn the dead. In ghosts in the machine, Jenna Wortham points out how social media is the quickest but worst way to announce a death. ¨ Social media seemed to be the quickest way to let people know why I had disappeared and why I would continue to be a ghost in my own way. But it felt wrong, even ghoulish, to announce the death of a parent in the same venue I might a new job. ¨. When I picked this quote it stood out because even though it is the quickest way it is the strangest way to share a death and social media is one of the quickest things that is why I chose this source and the quotes from this source.

In ghosts in the machine, Jenna wortham argues how the mourning process is longer on social media. ¨ When funneled through social media, death lingers longer than a traditional mourning period might call for. ¨. This quote was also very interesting to use because on social media the mourning period is much longer than the normal one. The next source is from Why some olympians compete against their home country.

In WSOCATHC, Matt Vasilogambros claims that switching nationalities is spirit. ¨ But is switching nationalities just to compete in the games in the Olympic spirit? ¨. This quote stood out because this is someone saying is this spirit or not. In WSOCATHC, Anne Donovan writes about how if you’re born here you play here.

¨ If you play in this country, live in this country, and you grow up in the heartland and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person in my mind. ¨.This quote stood out and also I kind of agree and disagree at the same because if you are born here play here but if that is the only way to compete in the olympics then go right ahead. The last source is The american identity according to social media. In The american identity according to social media, Nickolas Jackson illustrates that infographics are describe as a hodgepodge.

¨ Infographics are always a bit of a hodgepodge of statistics culled from a variety of sources. ¨. This quote stood out to me because a hodgepodge is basically a confused mixture of stuff so food or other items but this is a hodgepodge of statistics from a few sources. In The american identity according to social media, Nickolas jackson believes that social media has learned a lot about us. ¨ Over time, those networks have learned a lot about you, about us. What do they know? ¨.

This quote stood out to me because of the way it is worded and I don’t know but the author may be trying to tell us that social media has really developed into something big and that was my whole point. Now the conclusion like I said before my thesis is how social media thinks about the olympics. Obviously the olympics are one of the biggest events in the world and when things in the olympics happen they will go on social media which can cause negative and positive effects such as an error or blooper can go viral on social media which can cause cause negative and then a career accomplishment or world record can also go viral on social that same day and cause the opposite effect which is positive. So really what I am saying is social media influences life because what you do infuses your life and what these athletes do influences their career and lives as well.

Wortham,Jenna.Ghosts in the Machine: The New York Times Magazine,2015 Vasilogambros,Matt. Why some olympians compete against their home country: The Atlantic,2016 Jackson,Nicholas. Infographic: The American Identity According to Social Media: The Atlantic, 2011