[Albion] Maupay Interview about Social Media Boycott

[BN41Albion]

If that is the case, (whilst they shouldn’t have to be), they need to be mentally stronger.....

I have a few people on ignore and don’t look at their posts despite having the option to.

Yeah. Unfortunately we're not going to be able to stop online abuse - there's always going to be absolute morons out there who thinks it's acceptable to spew hate and abuse, especially with the world connected as it is now. There are benefits of social media, but imo the negative aspects far outweigh the benefits; I really hate the way we've given the morons of the world a platform to feed off.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Yeah. Unfortunately we're not going to be able to stop online abuse - there's always going to be absolute morons out there who thinks it's acceptable to spew hate and abuse, especially with the world connected as it is now. There are benefits of social media, but imo the negative aspects far outweigh the benefits; I really hate the way we've given the morons of the world a platform to feed off.

Well said.... agree entirely

 

[Springal]

A lot of players have second / private Instagram accounts. But I’m surprised that for their public ones they just don’t block PMs and either don’t read or turn off the ability to post comments. That way they can post the ‘content’ to be relevant in modern public society but not have to deal with the shit

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

I’m not on Twitter, but can’t you prevent replies or only receive them from ‘trusted’ accounts or ‘friend’?

Not arguing with you as I like to think the NSC community would all be on the same page.....

I just don’t know re the Twitter parameters.

As I said the problem goes beyond personal accounts and players are unable to control who comments on accounts they don't own (this isn't just limited to twitter but applies to all social media platforms). Casing point being the twitter post on this thread which is from the Sky Sports account and has a couple of Arsenal fans being abusive towards Neal Maupay, obviously there is less chance of him seeing any of the comments as it's not on his own account but that doesn't take away from the potential impact the abuse could have on a person.

Unfortunately this isn't just limited to football and all the time social media companies allow people to hide behind anonymous accounts the abuse will continue.

 

[hart's shirt]

Online, not really. He's posted a vague, looking-forward-to-the-game style graphic tonight. About the most deviant thing he's posted in recent memory is a photo of himself walking along the seafront.

It's a privilege that, say, one of us nerds can ask Zamora what his favourite goal was tomorrow and have a decent chance of being directly told by the man himself. I thought it was a bit of a joke that none of the players popped their heads above the virtual parapet when they were shit under Hyypia, but the illusion that an elite athlete owes an explanation to us outside of normal circumstances is entitled bollocks. Maupay does not owe an irate teenager or angry middle-aged man an explanation.

I agree with you. I was talking more about the social media of NSC-style message boards rather than individual messages/tweets sent to players.

And you're right - players don't owe anyone an explanation other than their employers. I've never contacted any player directly - I don't imagine I ever would.

It seems to be more a problem on the level of access given and a tradeoff between the competing desires for privacy and number of followers.

But there's still the need for a valid space for criticism, both positive and negative. Fanzines and latterly NSC have filled that void very well over the years.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

As I said the problem goes beyond personal accounts and players are unable to control who comments on accounts they don't own (this isn't just limited to twitter but applies to all social media platforms). Casing point being the twitter post on this thread which is from the Sky Sports account and has a couple of Arsenal fans being abusive towards Neal Maupay, obviously there is less chance of him seeing any of the comments as it's not on his own account but that doesn't take away from the potential impact the abuse could have on a person.

Unfortunately this isn't just limited to football and all the time social media companies allow people to hide behind anonymous accounts the abuse will continue.

Got it - sorry for being thick. Good point.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

There's a post on the match thread saying specifically that they hate Maupay.

Ali J doesn't fare much better. Nor does Connolly. The abuse is all over the match thread. Not saying that they want them to die doesn't make it any less abusive.

It's pathetic.

Sad, but not surprised to hear this.

Match threads are to be avoided, in my opinion.

 

[Withdean11]

There is a line between criticism and abuse. After last night’s performance, he deserves all the criticism coming his way. No footballer deserves abuse.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

There is a line between criticism and abuse. After last night’s performance, he deserves all the criticism coming his way. No footballer deserves abuse.

Constructive criticism maybe, otherwise no it isn’t deserved.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Depends which platform.

On both Facebook and Instagram you can make your page private and adjust your settings accordingly so only people you allow to follow you can see what you say and post things to you.

On Twitter you can protect your own Tweets to prevent others reading them but that does not prevent other people typing out a tweet mentioning you from scratch rather than replying to one you've put there (similar to how it works on here). You can also turn off your notifications which would then mean you never see anything from anyone, but the stuff posted is still visible if you happen to follow another account (e.g. the main BHAFC one) and the abuse is posted as replies to them. You can then block those individuals, but if it's 150 of them that takes a long time.

Oh, I wouldn't say that .....

 

[dazzer6666]

Some of the stuff on NSC directed at Maupay (and others), particularly after defeats, is little better than the abuse being talked about. The degree of hyperbole and exaggeration posted by some fans and a seemingly complete inability to distinguish between ‘poor’ and ‘useless/disgusting/pathetic/shameful’ etc is embarrassing sometimes.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Some of the stuff on NSC directed at Maupay (and others), particularly after defeats, is little better than the abuse being talked about. The degree of hyperbole and exaggeration posted by some fans and a seemingly complete inability to distinguish between ‘poor’ and ‘useless/disgusting/pathetic/shameful’ etc is embarrassing sometimes.

I agree. It is embarrassing.

That said, apparently there are threats of violence and vile racism on some platforms, which is what this thread is about, I think.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Oh, I wouldn't say that .....

Oh I agree ..I’ve managed with my 1500

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

To be honest if I was an elite player I would pay someone to manage my public account and have a private one.

I don’t see much upside for a high profile footballer on Social Media. Dunky has the right idea.

Yes....

I may be missing something in all of this, and clearly personal abuse is unacceptable, but can’t you make accounts private and prevent morons abusing you?

Apologies if I am being naive, but I genuinely don’t know......

Well, thats just like saying to a black person that if you don't want to hear racist abuse don't walk down a street in a white town. People should be able to interact with the public in social media if they choose without getting hateful undeserved abuse - the rest of us can.

The other part of it is that it IS part of their jobs. Having a media presence and promoting yourself and your club has become part of sport, like it or not, if you want the money and profile needed to get to the very top. My daughter has become a successful junior surfer and they are expected to have an online presence to get the sponsorship they need to get the best equipment and be able to compete in global competitions - its just the way it is.

Yes, its arguable that when you are there you can revert to a private profile, but again, why should they. Abusing players of your own team has become something very ingrained in football for decades, but its really not on.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Well, thats just like saying to a black person that if you don't want to hear racist abuse don't walk down a street in a white town. People should be able to interact with the public in social media if they choose without getting hateful undeserved abuse - the rest of us can.

The other part of it is that it IS part of their jobs. Having a media presence and promoting yourself and your club has become part of sport, like it or not, if you want the money and profile needed to get to the very top. My daughter has become a successful junior surfer and they are expected to have an online presence to get the sponsorship they need to get the best equipment and be able to compete in global competitions - its just the way it is.

Yes, its arguable that when you are there you can revert to a private profile, but again, why should they. Abusing players of your own team has become something very ingrained in football for decades, but its really not on.

Strongly suggest you read the thread again.

Nobody is saying it is acceptable, and it shouldn’t happen, my question is if there are options to prevent/restrict why not use them. [MENTION=1131]Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo[/MENTION] outlined why this wouldn’t work in all cases.

 

[vagabond]

Well, thats just like saying to a black person that if you don't want to hear racist abuse don't walk down a street in a white town. People should be able to interact with the public in social media if they choose without getting hateful undeserved abuse - the rest of us can.

The other part of it is that it IS part of their jobs. Having a media presence and promoting yourself and your club has become part of sport, like it or not, if you want the money and profile needed to get to the very top. My daughter has become a successful junior surfer and they are expected to have an online presence to get the sponsorship they need to get the best equipment and be able to compete in global competitions - its just the way it is.

Yes, its arguable that when you are there you can revert to a private profile, but again, why should they. Abusing players of your own team has become something very ingrained in football for decades, but its really not on.

Yeah you’re misunderstanding the conversation slightly here. Everyone is against the racist abuse on Twitter etc. Goes without saying it’s completely disgusting, unacceptable, and of course a player should be able to use it without being subjected to it.

I’m merely asking the question, all that aside, why current elite players have a public social media presence anyway. Forget the abuse. The constant 24/7 feedback on you, your performance, “I don’t think you’re good enough for our club”, “you shouldn’t take our next penalty”, “you’re too selfish why don’t you pass to.. “.

Why have all that noise, all that clutter in your head from game to game. It can’t be helpful for your performance, and I note some players don’t have an active profile so they must feel similarly (Dunk, Connolly). Also many current managers do not have a Twitter profile, but many ex managers do. There’s a reason for that. You don’t need the noise.

 

[Kosh]

I agree herein with the sentiment re Neil... he's lost his confidence badly and continues to snatch at chances without the belief he once had that he'd score. His recent goals (that spring to mind) have either been a tap in or an instinctive reaction finish that left him no time to 'worry' about the outcome... when he has time, it falls apart.

The overreaction to the result last night, although as it was - a massive anti-climax, has been laughable at best. Yes it hurts to lose to a poor PL team - yet, we were not outclassed, merely out fought. GP needs to address this quickly, as well as addressing our best strikers confidence issues - that surely is part of his job?!? The abuse, personal towards NM is horrific but sadly inevitable now that your very average person has a platform from which to SHOUT about everything in a bigoted and pathetic manner. It's a measure of society, as measure of how insulated most of us are from the reality of a large slice of the population... It's a measure of the failings of humanity.

I feel genuinely sorry for the players right now, as your average idiot usually vents from the stands - well, they've taken in greater numbers to social media... sadly, the rest writes itself.

If I were him, I'd boycott it all and concentrate on getting his confidence back without the white noise of cyberspace mediocrity.

 

[amexer]

I agree. It is embarrassing.

That said, apparently there are threats of violence and vile racism on some platforms, which is what this thread is about, I think.

What platforms is this abuse on

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

What platforms is this abuse on

Twitter or instagram. Something I don't use, anyway.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

What platforms is this abuse on

It's across all social media platforms, mainly Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as they are the three most popular. It's not limited to personal accounts either but can be found on posts made by clubs and other media outlets such as Sky Sports etc, as well as people sending abuse directly to players via DM as happened to our own Shane Duffy recently on a couple of occasions. Obviously as I posted earlier players can take more control of who can and can't contact them on their own pages and via DM but they are unable to do anything about the stuff that is posted by others that they may feature in.