Idrottare och sociala medier : En kvalitativ studie om hur manliga och kvinnliga idrottare använder sina sociala medier.

Sammanfattning: Today, an elite athlete cannot only focus on their sport, it has become impossible to ignore social media completely. As these platforms generate so many opportunities for the athletes to strengthen the financial conditions as well as the personal brand. In contrast when the traditional media reported sport the female athletes were always underrepresented, the athletes can now be more involved and influence about what will reach the audience. These are some of the factors that this study examines differences and similarities between male and female athletes' use of social media. The study focuses mainly on Instagram and what the athletes publish on this platform. The purpose is to see if the athletes have different intentions and attitudes around their social media and how Instagram affects the athletes and companies. Through a digital data collection, twelve athletes' Instagram feeds have been analyzed and mapped to get a clearer picture of what the athletes publish. This analysis has served as a feasibility study for the three more in-depth interviews conducted with two athletes and one company. The qualitative interviews examined more the intention behind the publications and how companies view sponsorship of athletes via social media.   The study shows that social media increases the opportunities for athletes to get more sponsors and better contracts. It has even become so important with social media that athletes feel that companies care more about their followers on Instagram than their sport achievements. The male athletes have always had the most media space when the traditional media had the power, but when it comes to social media, it is the female athletes who get the most followers. One reason for this that the company interviewed in the study mentions is that the female athletes are better at making their content feel genuine. This also means that companies need to guide their male athletes more regarding what content should be published. In conclusion, this study shows that the male athletes mostly publish content that is competition-related compared to the female ones where posts related to privacy occur more often.