The Olympic Games have long been a global spectacle, uniting people from all corners of the world in a shared celebration of athletic excellence. However, the Olympics have lost some of their magic in recent years. The sense of a shared national experience that once defined the Games was fading, attributed to a fragmented media landscape and external challenges like pandemic restrictions, time zone differences, and geopolitical tensions.
But the Paris 2024 Olympics have marked a turning point, largely thanks to new, more lenient social media rules for athletes. These changes have allowed Olympians to share their experiences in real-time, sparking a wave of successful social media content that is reigniting the excitement of the Games and changing how we watch them.
The Power of Real-Time Content
One of the most significant shifts at the Paris 2024 Olympics is the ability for athletes to post directly from the event venues, sharing their thoughts, emotions, and experiences as they happen. This change has opened the floodgates for a deluge of content that would have been impossible under the previous, more restrictive rules.
Take, for example, American wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt. Moments after winning a gold medal, she took to social media to express her joy: “Oh my gosh, I just won the FREAKING OLYMPICS haha haha DUDE.” This candid, unfiltered reaction resonated with fans worldwide, offering a glimpse into the raw emotions of an Olympic champion at the pinnacle of her career.
Such posts may seem commonplace in today’s social media-driven world, but at the Olympics, they represent a new twist—one that is helping to restore the sense of shared experience that the Games had been missing. By allowing athletes to share their journeys in real time, the Olympics are becoming more personal, more relatable, and more connected to fans’ everyday lives.
A New Era of Athlete-Influencers
The relaxed social media rules have also created a new era of athlete influencers. Olympians can now build and cultivate their brands during the Games, much like traditional social media influencers. This shift benefits the athletes, who can engage with their followers more directly and enhances the overall Olympic experience for viewers.
The prolific posting by athletes has fueled viral trends and memes, making the Olympics a constant presence on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. For instance, South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji became a viral sensation for her cool composure during competition. At the same time, American gymnast Sunisa Lee jumped on a popular TikTok trend, humorously acknowledging a fall off the balance beam. These moments, shared widely on social media, have contributed to renewed excitement and engagement with the Games.
The Impact on Viewership
The increased social media activity surrounding the Paris Olympics has a measurable impact on viewership. NBCUniversal, the American broadcaster of the Games, reported a 77 percent increase in Olympic viewership on its Peacock streaming platform and traditional television compared to the Tokyo Games. Significantly, 36 percent of new viewers said they tuned in after watching events in social media clips.
This surge in viewership underscores the value of embracing social media as a complementary tool to traditional broadcasting. By allowing athletes to share more content, broadcasters are promoting the Games and tapping into a younger, more digitally engaged audience. This strategy appears to be paying off, with viewership and social media engagement reaching new heights.
A Glimpse into the Future
As the Olympic movement looks to the future, the social media strategy’s success at the Paris 2024 Games is likely to have lasting implications. With the next Summer Olympics set to take place in Los Angeles in 2028—a city known as the content capital of America—the stage is set for an even bigger social media push.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its partners will undoubtedly analyze the outcomes of the Paris Games to refine their approach for 2028. Early indications suggest that the more permissive social media environment has been a win for athletes, broadcasters, and fans alike, helping to restore the Olympic Games as a shared cultural event that captivates the world.
The “Social Media Olympics” may just be the beginning of a new chapter in the Games’ storied history—one where digital connectivity and real-time engagement bring the Olympic spirit closer to home than ever before.
