Critiquing the Social Media Scholarship in Sport Studies: Social Media and Athlete Welfare.

Abstract

While the topic of athlete welfare has gained significant attention in academic literature, to date there has been a primacy placed on physical settings and their ability to augment or thwart the welfare of athletes. The discourse has therefore neglected the advent of social media spaces and their potential to have a significant impact on athlete welfare. Social media platforms are now a vital component in the lives of athletes who are increasingly reliant on maintain an online presence and following. In this commentary we consider the scope of social media and its potential impact upon the welfare of athletes, particularly female athletes. In doing so, we identify and discuss some of the positive health and wellbeing outcomes associated with increased online communication and self-representation in social media spaces. We examine the scholarship concerning the threats posed by social media spaces, consider power in virtual environments and its impact on welfare and finally suggest some future directions for scholarship in this field.