Echo or organic: framing the 2014 Sochi Games
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-02-2016-0038 |
| Published date | 10 October 2016 |
| Date | 10 October 2016 |
| Pages | 798-813 |
| Author | Evan Frederick,Ann Pegoraro,Lauren Burch |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Bibliometrics,Databases,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet,Records management & preservation,Document management |
Echo or organic: framing the
2014 Sochi Games
Evan Frederick
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Ann Pegoraro
Department of Sport Management and Marketing,
Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada, and
Lauren Burch
Department of Business, Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus,
Columbus, Indiana, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to perform a comparative analysis of how traditional media
and social media framed the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
Design/methodology/approach –The researchers examined newspaper articles pertaining to the
Sochi Olympics and Tweets containing #SochiProblems to determine if differences or overlap existed in
termsof themes and frames.A thematic analysiswas conductedwith the qualitativesoftware Leximancer.
Findings –An analysis of 2,856 newspaper articles and 497,743 Tweets revealed three frames across
the two media platforms including: the setting, the politics, and the games. There was both a
divergence and convergence of content. While there was an echo chamber in terms of discussions
regarding political controversies, organic content related to conditions and accommodations existed
primarily on Twitter.
Originality/value –This study sought to investigate whether organic content on Twitter could
withstand the transference of sentiments that emerge in traditional media. This study adds to the
current body of the literature by examining whether there is a convergence or divergence of content
across media platforms pertaining to an international sporting event.
Keywords Russia, Framing, Olympics, Twitter, Sochi
Paper type Research paper
Before the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games even began, they were shrouded in
controversy. Allegations of corruption, lavish spending (roughly $51 billion), and
outrage over the “homosexual information”law firmly placed a critical eye on Sochi
(Bowring, 2014). The city/country did itself no favors in diverting that criticism and
bolstering their public image. As early as February 4 (three days before the opening
ceremony), journalists began live-tweeting their experiences in Sochi regarding
undesirable hotel accommodations and undrinkable water (Dewey, 2014). That same
day, the Twitter handle @SochiProblems was created by Alex Broad, a 20-year old
student at Centennial College in Toronto (White, 2014). Within 48 hours of its creation,
@SochiProblems had over 100,000 followers (Eggertsen, 2014). Along with following
the @SochiProblems account, Twitter users quickly adopted #SochiProblems and
began creating critical and often humorous Tweets about the games.
Scholars have argued that social media platforms such as Twitter allow for greater
control of content among everyday individuals (Sanderson, 2011), providing them with
a platform to put their voice on display (Clavio, 2013). Twitter also enables users to
bypass traditional media (Sanderson, 2010), and provides immediacy of information
Online Information Review
Vol. 40 No. 6, 2016
pp. 798-813
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-02-2016-0038
Received 1 February 2016
Revised 3 May 2016
Accepted 6 May 2016
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
798
OIR
40,6
(Sanderson and Hambrick, 2012). Additionally, Twitter allows individuals to bring
issues to prominence and to frame and reframe those issues in order to continue
dispersion (Meraz and Papacharissi, 2013). While Twitter is an important vehicle in the
early stages of news dissemination (van der Meer and Verhoeven, 2013), scholars
contend that social media functions differently from traditional media (DeLuca et al.,
2012). In fact, existing research has found that these two forms of media diverge when
reporting major events (Billings et al., 2015).
The purpose of this study was to perform a comparative analysis of how traditional
media and social media framed the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Specifically, the
researchers examined newspaper articles pertaining to theSochi Winter Olympic Games
and Tweets containing #SochiProblems to determine if differences or overlap existed in
terms of themes and frames. The researchers chose to compare #SochiProblems with
newspaper articles to ascertain whether the narratives emerging on Twitter were
informing or influencing the content of newspapers (i.e. bottom-up framing) or whether
newspapers were in fact informing the narratives that emerged in #SochiProblems
Tweets (i.e. top-down framing). Additionally, this study sought to investigate whether
organic contenton Twitter could withstand the transferenceof sentiments that emerge in
traditional media. This study adds to the current body of the literature by examining
whether there is a convergence or divergence of content across media platforms
pertaining to an international sporting event.
Review of literature
Framing
Communication scholars have examined the process of mass media framing on various
issues in political and health communication (e.g. Andsager, 2000; Heldman et al., 20 05;
Major and Coleman, 2008). In addition, the power of media framing has been
documented, and found to affect the opinions, perceptions, and attitudes of audiences
toward these issues (e.g. Druckman, 2001; Tewksbury et al., 2000). Originally defined
by Goffman (1974) as mental schemas that facilitate the rapid processing of
information in everyday life, when frames are employed in a communicating text,
aspects of issues can be made more salient to audiences. This is accomplished through
the selection and emphasis of certain aspects at the exclusion of other aspects (Entman,
1993). When news media select, emphasize, and exclude aspects of certain issues, they
assist in the establishment of meaning regarding these issues (Zaharopoulos, 2007).
In addition to the selection and emphasis function, cultural references can bound the
interpretation of frames based upon the dominant social norms that exist within a
particular society (Endres, 2004; Goffman, 1974).
Framing, from a sports perspective, has been employed to examine issues
surrounding mega-sporting events. One event that has been the subject of various
framing studies is the Olympic Games. The most predominant issues examined from a
framing perspective in regard to the Olympic Games have been related to race, gender,
and nationality (e.g. Angelini et al., 2014; Billings et al., 2014b; Eagleman et al., 2014;
Zaharopoulos, 2007). Due to the cultural references and social norms that are included in
the framing process, studies have also investigated framing and the Olympics in regard
to social or politicalissues within a country. For example, framing of the OlympicGames
has been investigatedfrom country-specific perspectives such as China and Canada,who
hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games,
respectively (i.e. Huang and Fahmy, 2013; Liang, 2010; van Luijk and Frisby, 2012).
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Echo or
organic
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