The influence of elite athletes on Instagram on the behavioral intente towards physical activity among young adults

Abstract

Elite athletes are at the centre of attention among the general public due to their ability to perform at the highest level possible within the world of sport. Sports fans are able to retrieve information about elite athletes on traditional media, although elite athletes have also adopted social media platforms, particularly Instagram to provide people with an insight into their professional and personal lives. It’s commonly argued that elite athletes have the ability to inspire audiences through their performance in the context of physical activity, which can result in an increase in sports participation. Traditionally, people watch elite athletes in stadiums or through traditional media, however, because of social media, audiences can access content related to any aspect of athletes’ lives, so the inspirational effect can be extended to social media. However, little research has been devoted to how and if elite athletes can inspire audiences to increase their physical activity levels through social media platforms like Instagram. Therefore, this research project seeks to fill the gap within this field of literature. Through a mixed-methods approach, the researcher examined a sample of young adults through semi-structured interviews and a survey to gain insight about physical activity, elite athletes on Instagram, inspiration, and behavioural intention. The findings reflect mixed results as there must be a few conditions behind any changes to behavioural intention caused by Instagram content posted by elite athletes.

Date of Award	20 Jan 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Jessica Roberts (Supervisor)