Lance Armstrong used Twitter to employ image-repair strategies in a way that cultivated followers and countered media reports. However, he neglected to enact any image-repair tweets following his admission to using performance-enhancing drugs in a nationally staged interview with Oprah Winfrey, researchers say.
Clemson University communication studies assistant professor Jimmy Sanderson said traditional media like television and newspapers have been a staple of image repair, but with the rise of social media, athletes now have an additional avenue for it.
They should be prepared with strategies that help them navigate traditional and social media platforms to present consistent messages in multiple settings and contexts, according to the research.
Sanderson and co-authors Marion E. Hambrick and Evan L. Frederick explored how Armstrong utilized image-repair strategies during 2012 and early 2013. This time frame represented a turbulent period in Armstrong’s career as he faced a doping investigation by the U.S. government and later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in the Winfrey interview.
“Given Armstrong’s global recognition, exploring how he managed image repair via traditional media and digital media is an important direction to undertake,” said Sanderson. “Understanding how these efforts intersect and diverge yield important insights for image repair, particularly for athletes.”
The researchers analyzed Armstrong’s 859 tweets from 2012 to early 2013 and his comments during the Winfrey interview. Their findings were published in journal Communication & Sport.