CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the past 12 months, the Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has worked with both internal and external stakeholders to address an alarming trend of social media harassment aimed at intercollegiate student-athletes and coaches. Today, the department is kicking off “I Matter”, a campaign to challenge all social media users to change their tone and tenor on social media.
“Social media bullying, trolling and abuse takes a very real mental toll on student-athletes and coaches,” Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. “Today’s student-athletes are social media natives; they have grown up using the platforms. They consume what is written and said about them, often within minutes of a competition’s conclusion. We have seen a dramatic uptick in the mental health needs of our student-athletes in recent years, due in large part to an increase in pointed, personal social media attacks.
“The purpose of this campaign is to remind fans that student-athletes are someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister or friend,” Whitman continued. “In the competitive arena, they can sometimes seem larger than life, but when the lights turn off, they are still young people sorting through the usual complexities of early adulthood, an experience made infinitely more difficult by the bright spotlight under which they succeed and struggle for all to see. If we all stand together, hold each other accountable, and keep the well-being of these young adults as a priority, we can make real change in how people interact with one another on social media. “
The purpose of the “I Matter” campaign is to target hate speech and decrease the amount of toxic discourse that exists in the social media community. It creates a platform for inclusiveness amongst our Illini community, regardless of gender, race, religious, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation differences.
Research indicates that 40% of athletes between the ages of 18-21 experience negative social media harassment. This anti-social media harassment campaign is aimed at bringing awareness to the behavior and raising the bar on social media civility. Here are a variety of ways to engage in this campaign:
“Social media bullying, trolling and abuse takes a very real mental toll on student-athletes and coaches,” Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. “Today’s student-athletes are social media natives; they have grown up using the platforms. They consume what is written and said about them, often within minutes of a competition’s conclusion. We have seen a dramatic uptick in the mental health needs of our student-athletes in recent years, due in large part to an increase in pointed, personal social media attacks.
“The purpose of this campaign is to remind fans that student-athletes are someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister or friend,” Whitman continued. “In the competitive arena, they can sometimes seem larger than life, but when the lights turn off, they are still young people sorting through the usual complexities of early adulthood, an experience made infinitely more difficult by the bright spotlight under which they succeed and struggle for all to see. If we all stand together, hold each other accountable, and keep the well-being of these young adults as a priority, we can make real change in how people interact with one another on social media. “
The purpose of the “I Matter” campaign is to target hate speech and decrease the amount of toxic discourse that exists in the social media community. It creates a platform for inclusiveness amongst our Illini community, regardless of gender, race, religious, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation differences.
Research indicates that 40% of athletes between the ages of 18-21 experience negative social media harassment. This anti-social media harassment campaign is aimed at bringing awareness to the behavior and raising the bar on social media civility. Here are a variety of ways to engage in this campaign:
- Amplify the voices of Illini Student-Athletes and Coaches on anti-social media harassment by reposting social media content that can be found on Instagram and Twitter here: @IlliniAthletics
- Report social media harassment by tagging @Illini_Matter
- Use the #IMatter hashtag and share with us why you support this campaign
- Participate in upcoming social media civility education released by @IlliniAthletics
