Social media has pros and cons for student athletes

All it took Monday night was one tweet from @Mr_Hairston15, and all of P.J. Hairston’s followers knew where to find him — including the masses of media members who follow him. Hairston pinpointed his exact location for the world, and The Daily Tar Heel took advantage.

It might not be a traditional way of reporting, but it would be remiss for the media to ignore this watershed of personal information. Social media is a unique tool for student athletes and should be used appropriately by the players — and those who follow them.

The trend recently has been to shield players from the media, silencing them until a PR-approved time. But in the age of the 24-hour news cycle and the public’s insatiable demand for the latest news, it’s necessary to use unconventional reporting methods.

Under normal circumstances, UNC athlete interviews go through the sports information directors in the athletic department.

They’re the gatekeepers, in total control of media requests. But in the age of Twitter and other social media, the difficulty of their jobs has increased tenfold, especially when it comes to monitoring athletes with public notoriety. No, Hairston didn’t have to talk to the DTH, but even after the reporter identified himself and asked if he could talk to him, Hairston consented.

While there are steps to prevent student athletes from tweeting things that could shed a bad light on them (or the University), it is important to keep in mind that these athletes are college kids. Media outlets shouldn’t be following athletes on Twitter with their only goal being to catch them doing or saying something inappropriate.

However, social media outlets like Twitter are a double-edged sword. There comes a point when the media abuses the right to follow athletes off the court, field or pitch. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel was so heavily scrutinized by the media after tweets about his dislike of the town of College Station that he lashed out and left town for a few days.

It is on the shoulders of the student athletes who represent their schools to use Twitter properly. Sports information directors often hold various workshops about media relations at the beginning of the year, as well as during the season.

These workshops are a useful tool that teach players not only the value of public perception, but also how to carry themselves as role models. Additionally, UNC does a great job of having a coach on each team who is designated to work with the sports information directors and serve as another layer of social media monitoring.

In fact, Twitter can be a very helpful public relations tool for athletic teams and universities when players use it properly. In his time at UNC, Kendall Marshall built a reputation as one of the best student-athlete social media users. In the wake of his hand injury, the “PassFir5t” movement exploded on social media, and engaged Tar Heel fans from all demographics. Widespread responses to the campaign on social media brought great attention to UNC basketball. It also engaged people from baby Tar Heels to older alumni who would tweet pictures of a five drawn on their hands. It just goes to show that when Twitter is used appropriately, it can benefit the media and the user.

It is in the personal interest of student athletes to regulate their tweets. By creating a brand through social media, these athletes are no longer marketing their on-field skills, but are marketing their personalities and image — think Harrison Barnes and his attempt at a Black Falcon brand.

Although universities and athletic officials can teach student athletes to use social media strategically and appropriately, it is important to keep in mind that these athletes should be able to speak their minds freely.

In the past, Twitter was just a way to communicate with friends, but it’s evolved into so much more.

Because of this, it is essential that student athletes understand that Twitter is not something private. If it’s in the public sphere, particularly when reporters or news outlets follow them, it’s for everyone.