As both professional and semi-professional athletes continue to expand their presence on social media, their communication with fans and followers is transforming and warrants scholarly attention. These changing dynamics not only affect the relationships between athletes and their fans but might also influence how fans perceive and build their healthy lifestyles. This study aims to understand this development in athlete-fan communication by examining the types of messages semi-professional athletes post on Instagram and the responses they generate from followers. The researchers pay particular attention to how social support, self-efficacy, and overall motivation are communicated. Results of a content analysis that uses both qualitative and quantitative methods of 59 posts made by semi-professional athletes and the ensuing interactions between these athletes and their fans show that the provision of social support is reciprocal, with fans often providing motivational comments to athletes posts.
Key words: health communication, motivation, self-presentation, weekend warrior, social media
|
