Imagine yourself sitting on your own couch in your own living room and all around you is technology. Multiple TV monitors, your computer which has skype, twitter, facebook, IM, ESPN.com, and multiple other news sites all pulled up on separate tabs, possibly on multiple computers. You are getting play by plays by the second from three different games going on all at once. You have the connection to many different sources all at your fingertips.
Now imagine yourself five years ago, when all this social media was either nonexistent or was not at the level it is today. You had to wait for results to come out the next day and only had the option to follow one event or the other. It is almost hard to imagine isn't it?
Sarah Burke, 29, was a four-time X Games champion. Retrieved from Associated Press.
Today, ESPN News informed via text that Four time X Games Champion Sarah Burke had died after suffering a cardiac arrest after having an accident on January 10th, all while I was in the middle of listening to a presentation. I had no access to a computer, radio, or television, and a simple text message informed me of the biggest news for freestyle skiing.
Twitter has become one of the biggest unofficial news outlets that is available anytime, anywhere. Many times after hearing a rumor about a certain player retiring or a higher up being fired, I will first go to Twitter and investigate to see if I can find anymore information supporting that idea. Since most people monitor their own accounts, the information that I find on there has been known to be reliable.
During the most recent NDSU v. UND men's basketball game, Facebook was blowing up with status updates and comments between Bison and no-named "Sioux" fans. Students at the game sending photos and status updates to their friends back at home were able to connect and debate over real time plays. This was never a factor even a few years ago.
Times have changed, whether we agree for the better or for the worse. Society has accepted the new technology and new social media by adapting to it and using it to its full potential. Sport enthusiasts have taken advantage of this so that they do not have to wait until tomorrow to hear about something they could have known today.
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