PASP PRESS RELEASE – THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON FOOTBALLERS

Titled “The Impact of Social Media on Footballers,” the research was conducted by Poly Xinaris, social media consultant and director of P.A.X Social Media Ltd, in collaboration with P.A.S.P. (Cyprus Footballers’ Association).

The purpose of the research was to outline the landscape of social media usage among male and female footballers in Cyprus and to examine its impact on their psychology. It is worth noting that the conclusions presented by Mr. Xinaris are based on the answers provided in a related questionnaire. The conclusions raise questions that may be further explored in the future for better understanding and use.

– The research was conducted in October-November 2023 in Cyprus, and participants included male and female footballers from the First Division Championship. The research was anonymous, with the questionnaire answered online, and involved individuals over 18 years old from all nationalities. Some key findings of the research are as follows:

– The vast majority of players are users of social media, with nearly all having an account on Instagram, followed by Facebook and TikTok. However, the platforms they use most are Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

– The vast majority have fewer than 10,000 followers on their social media accounts. This does not classify them as influencers and indicates a lack of communication strategy on their part with their audience, with all that this entails. This is also evidenced by the fact that they do not have consistent interaction with their followers.

– Players receive negative comments after a poor performance, with the number of comments increasing when their team loses a match. The vast majority choose not to respond to these, while a percentage (35%) feel bad about the negative comments, indicating a potential need for further intervention.

– Footballers report that when their performance is good, the positive comments outweigh the negative ones, and the same is true when their team wins. Players seem to be quite affected by the wave of positive comments, as more than half respond to them.

– When examining how footballers feel when they receive positive and negative comments, a contradictory image emerges. While most claim they are not affected by negative comments, they say that positive comments make them feel good.

– It is observed that sometimes negative comments affect the performance of some players in the next game, and this percentage increases in frequency when the comments are positive. It is worth noting that players may not fully realise how much they are affected by comments and how to manage them properly in each case.

– A significant percentage of footballers (17.6%) sought psychological help to overcome negative comments, while perhaps more significant is that 68.9% did not seek help despite being affected by them.

“Seminars for Proper Communication”

In statements made during the press conference, the Executive President of P.A.S.P., Spyros Neofytidis, mentioned that “our Association places great importance on the use of social media by our members, both for career promotion and for matters of proper usage and protection.” In this context, he noted that P.A.S.P. will announce a series of seminars at a later stage, aiming to guide footballers on proper communication and the use of social media.

In addition, two very important announcements from the Executive President of the Association were made.

Firstly, Spyros Neofytidis mentioned that there will be two meetings of the P.A.S.P. with the Minister of Labor and the Deputy Minister of Migration to discuss the issues of the minimum wage for professional footballers and the accommodation of foreign footballers in Cyprus, respectively.

Mr. Neofytidis then stated: “Unfortunately, it seems that the Ministry of Defense and the Cyprus Sports Organization (KOA) did not keep their promise to restore even part of the number of facilities for conscripted footballers. Sixty-eight athletes in Cyprus are being sacrificed. This is a disgrace to the Cypriot government and Cypriot society. We have instructed our legal department, and we are awaiting an opinion and guidance to protect the legal rights of our members.”