Last week, I presented at the Cool Twitter Conference in Brooklyn, New York. I discussed ways in which people can use Twitter to disseminate and promote services, products, and ideas. I detailed my work with YouthNoise and how I use Twitter to engage in social conversations.  My presentation was based on this idea/space I called Twitter Society. I define Twitter Society as,



The more I engage with folks on Twitter, the more I notice how this type of social space functions similarly to our 'offline' societies.

In Twitter Society, there are patterns of written language, etiquette rules, and by golly, there's even a Twitter jail!  There are networking groups and clicks made up of academics, activists, celebrities and regular Jills and Joes.  All of these people are engaging in some sort of dialogical relationship. Though Twitter has over 50 million users, not all of them are active. But the ones that are active sure do tweet a lot, including yours truly!

During my presentation I cited specific examples of how people engage. I mentioned one of my first ever encounters with an active tweeter; NBA player Shaquille O'Neal (@ THE_REAL_SHAQ).  I joined Twitter about a year ago, but have only been active within the last 3-4 months (@taralconley). When I first joined, I began following Shaq because I heard his tweets were interesting (read: engaging).  I noticed right away that Shaq tweeted a lot.  One of the ways he would engage with fans was to send his followers on scavenger hunts. I remember one time he tweeted about being at the local mall in Miami and said the first person to find him at this particular mall would win a free pair of his sneakers.



Fans and followers have noted how cool Shaq is for actually responding and talking "directly" to them.  They feel a sense of intimacy with their favorite NBA star.  Arguably, before Twitter came along this type of "direct" intimacy with celebrities - namely professional athletes, was non-existent.  Sure, athletes have Facebook pages and blogs, but it's Twitter that provides a sense of immediate gratification and direct engagement fans and followers seem to embrace.

But Shaq isn't the only one using Twitter to connect with folks. Orlando Magic superstar, Dwight Howard is using Twitter to engage with fans too (@DwightHoward). 

Mashable reports:


From a PR perspective, it seems as though pro athletes are adopting social media outreach for branding and image control purposes.  While this may be true, I'm also incline to believe that celebrities and professional athletes are drawn to social media the same way you or I are drawn to these social spaces.  They too desire to be a part of communities made up of diverse people and ideas.  Call it narcissism, call it altruism, or call it our psychological need to be loved and belong to a social space. Whatever the case may be, it's apparent that these social networks speak to something human and societal, and they are changing the way professional athletes communicate with others.



As I mentioned in my presentation, "Twitter makes us more aware of our purpose in the conversation." Those active tweeters know that Twitter requires time and commitment, perhaps even more than Facebook and Myspace.  Twitter also forces us to choose our tweets wisely.  We've seen what happens when tweeting goes awry for public figures. 

Just recently, Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs was suspended and fined $213,000 for tweeting a gay slur to a follower.  Johnson's (@Toonicon) comments were infantile and derogatory. He deserved to be reprimanded by the NFL.  Fans and followers will heckle, that's going to happen in the wide world of sports. In this case, Johnson lost a sense of his purpose in a Twitter conversation.

So while Twitter and other social networks allow people to connect instantly and directly, all of us are still responsible for our social behaviors and actions in these spaces.  We've gotten accustomed to rethinking a position before uttering it to a family member or friend, but because we live in such a terribly fast and invasive age with the advent of the World Wide Web, we're now forced to rethink our (re)thoughts. And maybe, in the end, that's a good thing.

Johnson, Howard, and O'Neal are among many high profile athletes whose tweets will be scrutinized in Twitter Society. These athletes aren't only being watched by fans in the stands, but also by followers lurking behinds Twitter avatars.  As a 'snew ' (social + new) media consultant, I'm hopeful these athletes can use online platforms of social media to further engage with fans and serve their communities off the playing field.

For a full list of professional athletes on Twitter, visit www.twitter-athletes.com
 

Images courtesy of Sports Networker, Inside Social, Hoopiquity.

A few months ago I posted a blog about the upcoming "Body Issue" in ESPN Magazine. At the time, I was eager to see how the folks at ESPN Mag would portray naked athletic bodies without crossing that all-too-contentious line of exploitation. 

Well, looks like the Body Issue has finally been revealed, and folks like Serena Williams, Dwight Howard, and Adrian Peterson made the covers.  Of course, we can't talk about the Body Issue without also addressing fetishism, agency, exploitation, blah, blah, blah.  In fact, I couldn't wait to finally see the covers for that very reason; to hop up on my social commentary pulpit and go at it!  But in my humble opinion, I think ESPN Mag does a good job.  No matter what, there is always going to be a level of fetishism at play.  Particularly with black bodies, fetishizing is culturally and pathologically ingrained in our social psyche.  But what's also important to acknowledge is the subject (i.e. the person) claiming agency via the images s/he helps to create.

Serena Williams has publicly admitted to being insecure about her body.  Despite Serena's obviously healthy physique, she, like many other woman, agonize over body image:

“My thighs… I think they’re too big,’ she has said. ‘And also my arms. I think they’re too muscular. They’re too thick.”

(If I had a nickle for every time I looked in the mirror and utter that similar sentiment . . . I can totally relate, Serena.)

Yet, still, by virtue of Serena participating in the Body Issue, does she not claim a bit of agency here?  As I see it, Serena's photo (as well as the other athletes' photos) makes an empowering declaration that celebrates the human body in its most natural and even somewhat vulnerable form. And in spite of fetishizing eyes or publicly stated insecurities, these bodies in turn come to represent strength, power, discipline, and unguarded humanity.

And yes, I can argue all day about whether or not the way Serena poses contributes to or defies the beauty myth that women in society confront every day, but for the sake of this discussion (and for the sanity of my readers), I'll just end with this, from a fellow blogger/friend of Pitts Indeed:

With agency–and integrity–you know the difference between exploitation and exposure; between being taken and giving freely.

And damn if Serena don’t look fine.

 And, um, I'd like to add that Dwight Howard looks pretty damn fine too.

 The Body Issue hits newsstands tomorrow, October 9th. (I highly recommend viewing the "making of" video. It features all of the athletes talking about feeling insecure and empowered during the photo shoot.)

What's the best way to compete against a widely popular sports magazine that showcases half naked bodies (eh-hem Sports Illustrated)?  Showcase female and male athletes engaging in a sporting activity while in the nude and call it the "Body Issue." 

Simple enough, I guess.

This idea appears to be the marketing strategy for ESPN's The Magazine with its first "Body Issue" hitting newsstands this fall.  No doubt The Magazine will be competing with one of the most successful sports magazine on the shelf.  So while it might seem like a competitive ploy to feature naked athletes for profits and perhaps bragging rights over SI, The Magazine's editor Gary Belsky insists that "The magazine won't do anything that would compromise ESPN and Disney brands [The Magazine's parent company]."

The idea, see, is to "use equipment and pads . . . to obscure body parts" so that, in the very least, the photos won't tread soft porn territory.

Well, call me curious Georgia then because a gal like me is eager to see how the editors and photographers might strategically place a basketball on, say, a body like Dwight Howard's.  Yaozahs!

Photo courtesy of Dimemag.com

There's no arguing that back when humans were throwing rocks as shot puts, athletic bodies were, in and of themselves, considered masterpieces of art.  Dodai over a Jezebel, points out that the Ancient Greeks participated in sport while nude (although, while men might have participated in sports, it's been noted that women were forbidden to compete in the ancient Olympics and if they did 'play' a sport they might've worn something like this).  

But perhaps it's not so much the idea of naked bodies gallivanting around while engaging in sport that's shocking, but rather the titillation translating into profits that might rub folks the wrong way.

Only time will tell (October 19th, to be exact) if the "Body Issue" will prove to be a modern example of dignified art through sport or just another excuse to sneak a peak at Amanda Beard’s boobs.

 

Feature photo courtesy of ESPN "The Magazine"/Clint Clemens