While watching the hockey final game tonight, I couldn't help but notice the role of social media in regards to rooting on teams and expressing emotions about the game. As Michigan and Minnesota Duluth entered overtime, I naturally refreshed my Twitter Mobile application to see what new tweets had surfaced in the past, er, 45 minutes. I was shocked to see that multiple friends of mine had tweeted about the overtime. Some examples were: Overtime.. LETS GO BLUE and Headed into overtime.#goblue. After the loss, a couple tweets said: It was a good game Michigan :( and At least our hockey team doesn't have dumb haircuts...
For the sake of comparison, I logged into my Facebook to see how status updates were used during the Michigan hockey game and there were similarities: f*** Minnesota, I'm upset right now, couldve definitely had 4 better years of Michigan athletics, Sad today, proud forever. Forever Go Blue!
I'm not going to lie. I had a status update that was rooting for Michigan's hockey team. Hey, I'm a proud Wolverine! But, I got to thinking as I saw the other updates: Why do we feel the need to express our opinions on our social media sites? Do you think that these features give people the opportunity to voice things that they may not have the opportunity to say out loud?
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I didn't go on Twitter the day of the game but I did go on Facebook and noticed the exact same status updates. Most involved expletives expressing hate for Minnesota or general upset about the game but some did give a shout out to how great the team played this season. Despite the content of the status, I think one of the main reasons people express their opinions via social networking sites for reinforcement from others. As a society, we are constantly seeking reaffirmation for our beliefs and actions from others and by posting these on Facebook or Twitter, our "friends" can comment or like them, which solidifies these perspectives in our own minds. I feel that people with frequent status updates lack a captive audience, which would lead to a lack of opportunity, to express their opinions, which is why they feel the need to do so on social networking sites where at least one person will acknowledge their belief.
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