Understanding the use of social media platforms by local sports organisations

Abstract

Social media has become an integral part of everyday communications and the ease of access to most social networking sites has provided a communications tools for many organisations. This study explored how local sports organisations are making use of social media in order to communicate to their audiences. To achieve this, the researcher has organised semistructured face to face interviews with 12 representatives of local sport associations or federations. The interviewees were mostly volunteers who were responsible for the creation and curation of social media content. There were different opinions and perceptions on social media. However, the respondents were convinced of the necessity to maintain an online presence as they wished their organisation to remain relevant in the public consciousness. Despite the respondents were aware about the importance of social media as vehicle for public relations, this study shows that most of them were inadequately trained for their communications role. Their organisation even lacked the necessary investment or funding to maintain a consistent and effective social media presence.