With advances in technology and the almost instant internet access of today, the impact of social media on football is an issue that has already been quite significant and is bound to be discussed further in the future.

So what's the general perception? Is it a valuable tool? Or just an unnecessary hindrance on a footballer's career?

Well firstly, it is a very quick way for fans to connect with players associated with their club, many that fans idolise. This wouldn't have been as easy a decade back so is something people should appreciate.

It also allows footballers themselves to interact in regular everyday conversation with fans and is a way of showing that not all footballers are the flashy, big-heads they are often perceived to be.

Questions can be asked directly to players, autographs may be sent, gloves, shirts, great privileges that would usually cost a fair amount of money.

Players such as Dexter Blackstock and Tyrone Mings have also been hailed for giving away tickets to eager and sometimes desperate fans. It is also a great tool with regards to charities and foundations.

We have seen Scott Loach use Twitter successfully to raise awareness for breast cancer, and we've seen various other footballers do a similar thing whilst members of the public have asked footballers whether they will sponsor them, and they often oblige.

You may just like to see what footballers get up to, what music they like, pictures of them at certain locations. It's all good fun and often quite a joyful, entertaining thing. Though, of course, there are those who simply couldn't care less what players do in their down time.

Obviously, it isn't always this rosy, players can be on the receiving end of abuse if they haven't been playing well or perhaps there has been a story flying around about them in a newspaper.

Going onto a social networking site and having a pop is something that some fans wouldn't think twice about and enjoy, but instead often sparks controversy.

The flip side of course is that players can provoke controversy themselves by speaking in negative terms about an aspect of their club. Players are human beings, and rightly or wrongly, they will react.

Norwich defender Ryan Bennett received a fine after retaliating to a fan and subsequently deleted his account. Hothead Joey Barton, renowned for his use of Twitter, has found himself in hot water on numerous occasions. The most notable incident being where he refereed to PSG defender Thiago Silva as a 'ladyboy' and duly received a fine.

This brings me on to my next point which concerns the FA. Though only a handful of tweets have been and are likely to be punished, they certainly don't contribute to giving the game of football a glowing reputation.

The 96% who use these sites sensibly will not be talked about, but the cases where people don't will and that can only be a negative.

I also think there is a fair amount of misunderstanding between players and the FA. It sometimes seems as if players are unsure themselves what they can and can't put onto social networking sites and that the rules almost seem to be hidden.

A comment made by your everyday person probably wouldn't cause anyone to bat an eyelid, however if a professional player says something along similar lines they will be clamped down and used as a precedent as there will always be the argument that they hold a responsibility and have to act as role models, which is a different situation altogether.

Andros Townsend, who was on loan at QPR from Tottenham at the time, broke rules by posting comments about betting and received a four-month ban as a result. He then claimed that he didn't mean to do this intentionally.

Jack Wilshere was another was involved in a similar incident. Whether players are told internally at their clubs I cannot answer but it seems a bit of a grey area to me and could possibly be elaborated upon.

Perhaps everyone should just adapt to the times and understand and accept that it is natural that more people will be spending time on social networking and that it's already high popularity is going to increase.

It's a bit like music, maybe you like stuff from a certain era but that genre isn't as popular now, whereas another genre you don't like has become more popular. You acknowledge people enjoy it but it will not be for you.

There's my Ian Holloway-esque quote, and it was quite rubbish, but treasure it because you won't hear another one and hopefully you see where I'm coming from.

Some may argue that social networking damages players' careers in that they spend so much time on Twitter or similar sites, that they concentrate less on their football and indulge more in a showbiz kind of lifestyle. Some who have not even nailed down regular first team or even squad places.

This could be particularly aimed at the younger players who are trying to or have already broken through. At times you wonder about their agenda and feel that the idea of making it as a professional footballer rather swiftly gets taken all too lightly.

Their upbringings were dedication, dedication, dedication. Football, football and more football and perhaps that enthusiasm goes a little bit once they have been signed and have so many privileges.

That isn't my exact opinion but is an argument that may raise debate and a view some may have.

Players will say it's within their rights to type anything when they're not doing their job and it is simply their own way of switching off, which is ultimately their own prerogative. And that what they get up too in their free time is quite frankly nobody's business.

Bolton striker Marvin Sordell even had his phone taken off him by boss Dougie Freedman who said Sordell was 'obsessed' with tweeting. perhaps not coincidentally, Sordell managed to stake a more regular first team place and his form improved from that point on.

It seems like the use of social networking connects to the direction football is heading in the respect that it is becoming much more of a business now where players are paid excessive amounts of money and are presented with great luxuries.

It would be wrong of me to accuse players for thinking players are generally egotistical. That would be very unjustified however combining social media with the vasts amounts of money a week, the wonderful facilities and everything else that's involved. It can't be too difficult to become distracted, perhaps many of us would if we lived a similar life.

I hope you've enjoyed the read. Many will think the issue isn't even worth mentioning but I thought it's something that would be relevant in relation to how football is evolving. Thanks for your time.

SanDiego added 04:10 - Jul 30 Nice piece. It's like most things/people in life, you have the good ones and the bad ones. Whether talking about players or fans it's the bad ones that stand out and ruin it for everyone else. There are some great things that have been achieved through social media as well as some stupid things. The best you can hope for is that the players are given some sort of guidance from their club.

2

HarryfromBath added 13:05 - Aug 1 Many thanks for a really enjoyable read Edmunds. I can fully understand why football clubs are so nervous when their players have unhindered access to social media. They are not adequately trained or skilled to express themselves with the precision needed, and their comments are held up to sodium light. Most people have had the unfortunate experience of posting an imprecise comment or remark on a forum, and then being criticised for this. It is so easy to get things wrong. It is also interesting to see that the players who manage their image carefully don't get involved in any banter. For example, David Beckham's twitter feed has more adverts than the half time break on ITV's Champions League shows.

0

Blogs 295 bloggers