In many ways, social media has provided the sporting world with new opportunities for fan-player connections, provided a mechanism for sharing news, and created a more coupled community. However, social media has also generated its fair share of problems and has given more than a few reasons to question its mass use and necessity. These problems range from fans bullying and threatening players to a toxic culture that sometimes preferences virality over authenticity. Athletes are often expected to put their mental health on standby to complete detrimental interviews and provide commentary on potentially triggering topics. Many people believe athletes have an obligation to complete these tasks regardless of the harm since the “fan base” made them famous and sustained their careers. Simply because athletes are a part of a larger sports community, they are expected to bow to the needs of everyone except themselves. This is especially prevalent in college athletics, as many of these athletes have little to no training or resources to help them deal with extreme levels of hate and negativity.
We want to dive deeper into the glossed over and yet increasingly significant relationship between athletes' mental health and social media. This relationship is complicated by increasing pressure for athletes to gain exposure and get NIL deals while simultaneously weathering the pressure of hate comments and a loss of privacy from social media. These complexities have made it far more difficult for college athletes to feel safe and maintain their voice. At times it's uncertain whether the positive exposure they receive from social media outweighs the unprecedented hate they receive. To learn more, we have spoken to a small group of Duke student-athletes to get their individual and unique take on the trials and tribulations they have been forced to endure and their opinions on both sides of social media.