Social Media News Update: June 14 – June 20

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola Snub: Cristiano Ronaldo is considered to be the world’s most
successful soccer player, with over 302 million followers on Instagram. Ronaldo is known for
being extremely health conscious and has spoken publicly about the dangers of sugar. During a
press conference, Ronaldo removed two staged Coca-Cola bottles off of the table and held up a
bottle of water and told the cameras to “drink water.” Coca-Cola is one of the main sponsors for
FIFA, Coca-Cola and FIFA have had a partnership that has lasted almost 50 years. Ronaldo’s
decision to remove the Coke bottles made it clear that he was adamantly against the brand and
encouraged all of his fans to avoid the sugary soda. Ronaldo’s open opposition to the brand
highlights the potential issues that can arise with sponsorships and outspoken celebrities in the
social media age.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzAoi9Xdm-A

Youtube’s Culture and Trends Report – People Turned to Live Simultaneous Viewing During the
Pandemic: YouTube has conducted a new Culture and Trends Report in which they study how
people use the streaming service for entertainment, knowledge, and connection. The report found
that “85% of its users had watched a livestream on the platform over the past 12 months.” Videos
that content creators made to encourage subscribers to “follow along with me” became
increasingly more popular during the pandemic. Content creators posted videos like, “clean with
me”, “study with me”, or “go food shopping with me.” These immersive videos allow people to
feel connected to one another, both content creators and viewers are partaking in the same
mundane activity.

https://www.youtube.com/trends/articles/covid-impact/

Health Campaigners Question Whether Large Sporting Events Should Have Alcohol Sponsors:
Several health experts have begun to question whether it’s ethical for sporting events to be
sponsored by alcohol brands. There have been claims that alcohol sponsorship leads to increased
alcohol consumption amongst young children. The Acting Head of Alcohol Policy for Fresh
Balance, Sue Taylor, stated: “It is appalling that millions of children are seeing alcohol brands in
front of their favourite football players and managers.” The World Health Organization advises
alcohol brands to limit their sponsorship marketing in order to limit dangerous alcohol
consumption. Heineken is one of the top sponsors at Euro 2020 this year, but several health
officials are fighting to change that.

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/health/health-campaigners-question-alcohol-advertisin
g-at-euro-2020-3279021
New York Times Article – This Is the Summer the Youth Own New York: This article written by
Steven Kurutz explores the new landscape of New York City post-pandemic. Over the last year,
New York City has changed drastically, small businesses have struggled, older generations have
begun to move to the suburbs, and rent has decreased significantly. In the last few months, things
have started to look up with the wide-spread release of the COVID-19 vaccine. Businesses are
making a comeback and there seems to be a cultural revolution in the city. People are starting to
go outside again, and the majority of these people are young impressionable New Yorkers who
are set on making up for the last year they’ve spent in their homes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/12/style/nyc-summer.html