Lauren Reichart Smith

I'm Going to Instagram It! An Analysis of Athlete Self-Presentation on Instagram

Using Goffmans notions of self-presentation and gender displays, the following study examines the Instagram feeds of 27 professional athletes to determine how athletes are using the visual social media site for self-presentation. A mixed methods approach examined the photographs and captions to determine what behaviors and themes emerged. Through content analysis, the self-presentation styles of athletes of both genders, as well as the main differences between them were examined, and significant differences emerged that confirmed the previously established gender norms. Through textual analysis, findings with respect to captions align with previous research on athlete self-presentation on social media. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

(Re)Calling London The Gender Frame Agenda within NBC’s Primetime Broadcast of the 2012 Olympiad

All sixty-nine hours of National Broadcasting Company’s (NBC) 2012 primetime Summer Olympic telecast were analyzed, revealing significant gender trends. For the first time in any scholarly study of NBC’s coverage of the games, women athletes received the majority of the clock-time and on-air mentions. However, dialogues surrounding the attributions of success and failure of athletes, as well as depictions of physicality and personality, contained some divergences by gender.

Missed Programs (You Can't TiVo This One) Why Psychologists Should Study Media

Media psychology involves the scientific examination of the cognitive processes and behavior involved in the selection, use, interpretation, and effects of communication across a variety of media (e.g., via the Internet, television, telephone, film). Media are central to people’s lives, with projections indicating that an average person spent over 3,515 hours using media in 2012. New technologies are increasing the importance of media. Data from two content analyses demonstrate the underrepresentation of media psychology in mainstream psychological literature and in undergraduate and graduate psychology course offerings. We argue for the importance of a psychological approach to the study of media because of its presence in people’s lives and because psychologists use it in their research and their choices may affect the external validity of their findings. We provide a useful framework from which psychologists can approach the study of media, and we conclude with recommendations for further areas of scientific inquiry relevant to psychological science.

Fanfare for the American: NBC’s Prime-Time Broadcast of the 2012 London Olympiad

Previous analyses have indicated strong tendencies for a host Olympic network to favor one’s home nation through enhanced clock-time, highlighting of star athletes from one’s home country, and more nuanced and positive dialogues. Analysis of NBC’s 2012 London Summer Olympic broadcast revealed significant differences between American and non-American athletes. Regarding athletic mentions, American athletes were more likely to be mentioned (55.8%) than all other athletes combined and composed 75% of the most-mentioned athletes within the broadcast. Regarding descriptions ascribed to the Olympians, American athletes were more likely to be depicted using subjective characterizations, disproportionately having their successes attributed to superior composure, commitment, intelligence, and consonance as well as having a greater level of comments pertaining to their modest/introverted nature. Conversely, non-American athletes were more likely to receive success attributions related to their superior experience and failures depicted as a lack of athletic skill—both largely objective measures.

International Faces: An Analysis of Self-Inflicted Face-ism in Online Profile Pictures

The head-body ratios of more than 1400 profile pictures of seven different nations were analyzed to test differences in facial prominence in the profile photos posted on social networking sites. The social psychology theory of face-ism was used to measure the head-body ratio of men and women. Results show that men were significantly higher in facial prominence than women, suggesting social gender stereotypes are internalized cross-culturally by individuals and influence their choice of photographs. Nationality was found to play a role in the face-ism indexes, with some nations displaying more of a gap in indexes between genders than others. The study shows that gender stereotypes still exist across cultures despite the self-selection ability of users.

Competing Separately, Medaling Equally: Racial Depictions of Athletes in NBC's Primetime Broadcast of the 2012 London Olympic Games

Analysis of NBCs 2012 London Summer Olympic broadcast revealed significant differences between athletes of different ethnic backgrounds. Regarding athletic mentions, White athletes were more likely to be mentioned (64.3%) than all other athletes combined, with significant differences found in the reporting of an athlete from differing ethnic backgrounds depending on the venue where the mention is made. Regarding descriptions ascribed to the Olympians, significant differences were found when comparing the commentary for White, Black, Latino, Asian, and Middle Eastern athletes, including differences in the discussion of successes and failures of athletic strength, athletic ability, experience, and intelligence. Implications on the dialogue divergences are offered at the theoretical level, with heuristic impact being discussed in a variety of contexts.

Where the Gender Differences Really Reside: The “Big Five” Sports Featured in NBC's 2012 London Primetime Olympic Broadcast

This study analyzed all 69 hours of NBCs primetime coverage of the 2012 London Summer Olympics to determine which sports were most likely to contain divergences in dialogue by gender of athlete. Coding over 14,000 descriptors, 23 significant differences were detected: 11 attributions of athletic success and failure and 12 depictions of personality and physicality. Swimming was found to have the most dialogue differences (seven), while beach volleyball only contained one. Ramifications and implications for the study of gender in sports media are offered.

Nice Dig! An Analysis of the Verbal and Visual Coverage of Men’s and Women’s Beach Volleyball During the 2008 Olympic Games

This study represents a content analysis of 10 beach volleyball games for the men’s and women’s team USA during the 2008 Summer Games. Play-by-play commentary and between-play commentary were analyzed for all 10 games, and all court shots and camera angles were coded. Using earlier work examining the existence or presence of gender inequities in mediated coverage of sport in general, the goal was to identify how or if coverage of beach volleyball might still reinforce gender inequities. Findings from the coded visual and verbal coverage suggest that gender difference was not evident in the manifest content of the 2008 Olympic Games. Additional findings and implications are discussed.

Nationalism in the United States and Canadian primetime broadcast coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics

The CBC’s and NBC’s primetime broadcasts of the 2014 Winter Olympics were analyzed to determine differences between the media treatment of home nation and foreign athletes. The CBC results showed that Canadian athletes represented 48.5% of total athlete mentions and constituted all of the top 20 most-mentioned athletes. NBC results showed that American athletes represented 43.9% of their total mentions and 65% of the top 20 most-mentioned athletes. The CBC was more likely to attribute Canadian athletic successes to commitment and intelligence, and non-Canadian successes to strength. The CBC was more likely to discuss the emotions and background of non-Canadians and make neutral/other comments about Canadians. NBC was more likely to attribute American failures to experience. Comparisons between the networks revealed 30 significant differences in the manner of depicting home athletes compared to athletes from other nations.

What’s the Best Exposure? Examining Media Representations of Female Athletes and the Impact on Collegiate Athletes’ Self-Objectification

Many studies offer clear evidence that exposure to glamorized and sexualized media images results in distorted body image perceptions in girls and young women. Researchers have examined the link between sports media exposure and the negative effect on body perceptions of young girls and women, though a gap exists in the examination of the relationship between media images and positive impact. Grounded in the theories of self-objectification and social comparison, this study tested the relationships between self-objectification and body esteem and sports media exposure. Using a between-participants experimental design, this study examined how three different images of elite female athletes—performance, glamorized, and overly sexualized—impacted collegiate-level female athlete’s tendency to self-objectify and their levels of body esteem. Results suggest that less self-objectification occurs and greater body satisfaction is achieved when images of performance athletes are viewed, suggesting a need for more of these images in mainstream media.Many studies offer clear evidence that exposure to glamorized and sexualized media images results in distorted body image perceptions in girls and young women. Researchers have examined the link be...