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Apart from those sources that are expressly acknowledged within the text, I certify that this is an original work written entirely by me and that it is free of plagiarism. I am aware of and understand the university's policies and procedures regarding intellectual property violations and plagiarism.

Signature:

Date: 13th May 2022

Acknowledgements

I would want to say thank you to my dissertation supervisor for all his help and guidance during the writing process. In addition, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in my survey and interviews; the feedback I received was fantastic. As a final note, I would like to thank my family and friends for their steadfast support over the last several years.

There is a lot of discussion in this dissertation on the impact of social media and the disparities that are seen in them. It examines the real-world consequences that social media has on society and how Manchester United may use this characteristic of social media to its benefit when it comes to news. While the arrest of Manchester United player Mason Greenwood is one example of the changes occurring in today's news media, others include the steady decline of long-standing institutions like the national and regional press is also mentioned in this article. This study examines how people who have been personally impacted by the shifts in journalism see the results from the public poll and interviews with two media professionals.

Many people now rely on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to get their news instead of more conventional media channels like newspapers, which have played an important part in journalism for years. Combined with social media's rapid expansion, journalists are no longer able to regulate the creation and distribution of sports news. Traditional news channels, such as broadcast television news and radio, are centralized and professional in tone and presentation, but social media is colloquial, fragmented, and casual. When journalism is supplanted by a low-quality substitute that fails to critique the powerful and effectively disseminate updates to the public, informality becomes a problem. Misinformation and distortion have been able to spread because of the sharing and commenting features on social media platforms as well as their lack of regulation, which in turn has harmed the way audiences view various sports teams and clubs, including Manchester United, as well as other sports organizations.

Table of Contents Declaration of Dissertation 2 Acknowledgment 3 Abstract 4 1. Introduction 6 2. Sales via Social Media 9 3. Methodology 15 4. Analysis 20 4.1. The social media platforms that Manchester united use. 21 4.2. Commercial functions of social media. 24 Facebook 24 Content 24 Twitter 25 Content 26 Google + (https://plus.google.com/) 26 Instagram 27 Sina Weibo 28 4.3. Impact that social media accounts have had on the operation of the Manchester United team. 29 4.4. How the Manchester United team uses social media accounts to protect its reputation against the agents of defamation. 32 5. Conclusion 34 6. Bibliography 36

Due to the expansion of social media platforms and the availability of a wide range of mobile phone models, people's information consumption habits have shifted considerably. Smartphones have become such a crucial tool in today's environment that many individuals feel confused if they are taken away from their devices for any length of time. People's attention is drawn to these little displays whether they are using public transit or just walking down the street. They enable quick and easy access to a wide range of real-time information that is accessible at the touch of a button.

Following Floyd's untimely death in 2020 and the protests that followed, as well as the quick growth of a coronavirus outbreak, it became clear just how much of an impact social media had on 21st-century news consumption. In both the Black Lives Matter and the Coronavirus Pandemic Don't Go Viral campaigns, photographs that were posted on social media throughout the first part of the campaigns are included. Imagery from some of the campaign posters that were utilized on social media to spread the different themes can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. As a result of the pervasive nature of the virus, the distance problem naturally becomes a highly political subject during this pandemic period, and it was widely shared on social media platforms during this period. Other alternative statements were posted to Facebook by other individuals within a few hours, each of whom detailed how their varied images had been staged to control and remove the COVID-19 illness. It seemed that the posts were relatively trustworthy due to their apparent sincerity and quick transmission of information, among other factors. To further prevent and control the spread of disease, they even ordered the closure of stadiums and public gatherings.

.Figure 1

Figure 2

Due to the expansion of social media platforms and the availability of a wide range of mobile phone models, people's information consumption habits have shifted considerably. Smartphones have become such a crucial tool in today's environment that many individuals feel confused if they are taken away from their devices for any length of time. People's attention is drawn to these little displays whether they are using public transit or just walking down the street. They enable quick and easy access to a wide range of real-time information that is accessible at the touch of a button.

Following Floyd's untimely death in 2020 and the protests that followed, as well as the quick growth of a Not only has the news environment for viewers changed dramatically because of social media but so has the sports journalism profession, particularly the various clubs' public relations that previously existed between the clubs and their fans, who are the primary consumers of news that involves them. Games and club news like as transfers and other developments were only covered by "conventional" media channels, such as print newspapers, radio stations, and linear broadcast television, which included the BBC, ITV, and Sky News. According to many academics, the breakdown of the 'hegemonic' production-distribution paradigm may be traced to the growth of social media platforms and platforms like Twitter. Because of the open and participatory nature of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, everyone can express themselves and provide ideas. Even though its addition has raised several worries, ranging from the rapid distribution of misinformation to the 'trolling' of journalists, it has also raised several issues. Since their membership in "the Fourth Estate," reporters have been pushed farther and further away from their traditional function as "the eyes and ears of the people," according to the Associated Press. Over my adolescent years, I witnessed the evolution of social media from simple platforms for interacting with friends and family to sophisticated platforms that now not only serve as news sources but also as a source of social and political impact for millions of people around the world. The operations of Manchester United are a good illustration of this.

According to a survey on adult news consumption in the United Kingdom conducted in 2018, the number of individuals who "actively read sports news on social media" has increased (Ofcom, 2019). A decrease in the proportion of people who watch broadcast television for news has occurred, with the figure dropping from 79 per cent in 2018 to 75 per cent in 2019. As social media continues to have an increasing influence on news creation and consumption, this field of research will become even more important in the coming years.

As part of this dissertation, an initial literature review will be conducted, which will analyze numerous academic sources to explore the most important results and arguments on the social media platforms that Manchester United uses on modern sports journalistic practice and their news consumption, as well as the impact of social media platforms on news consumption. After that, I'll go through the club's management's social media profiles in more detail. Information that was gathered because of getting some main information. The findings will be thoroughly analyzed in the analysis, and the conclusion will provide a concise overview of what has been discovered. The primary goal of this research is to examine how social media has changed the generation and consumption of sports news, particularly football news, utilizing Manchester United as a case study to do this. Discussions will centre on the implications of social media usage for the club's business, and for the public, in essential areas of the club's operation and existence, such as the making of vital decisions regarding coronavirus outbreaks, it became clear just how much of an impact social media had on 21st-century news consumption. In both the Black Lives Matter and the Coronavirus Pandemic Don't Go Viral campaigns, photographs that were posted on social media throughout the first part of the campaigns are included. Imagery from some of the campaign posters that were utilized on social media to spread the different themes can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. As a result of the pervasive nature of the virus, the distance problem naturally becomes a highly political subject during this pandemic period, and it was widely shared on social media platforms during this period. Other alternative statements were posted to Facebook by other individuals within a few hours, each of whom detailed how their varied images had been staged to control and remove the COVID-19 illness. It seemed that the posts were relatively trustworthy due to their apparent sincerity and quick transmission of information, among other factors. To further prevent and control the spread of disease, they even ordered the closure of stadiums and public gatherings.

Engaging with consumers is one of the most important things a company can do to build its reputation. Engagement is formed because of the presence of a relationship between a brand and its customers, which is built via a two-way communication process. This communication may be carried out via the use of social media, notably Instagram, among other platforms. Providing information to its target audience with the intent of grabbing their attention is the goal of the brand. Interested customers will contribute feedback in the form of likes, comments, and shares on social media sites if they find the content interesting. A social media manager must be able to develop aesthetically attractive content and devise a strategy for disseminating that content to the appropriate audiences. The purpose of this research is to define the function of a social media manager, with a particular emphasis on football. Based on the number of individuals who follow them on Twitter, the first step is to choose which clubs will be used as research participants in the subsequent stages. The next step is to categorize the many sorts of content that each club has in common with the others. The next step will include tracking interaction and providing feedback on a strategy devised by each club for promoting its content. It has been discovered that Manchester United distributes all forms of information, has more engagement than other clubs, considers player's contract material to be the most fascinating content, and has a content sharing strategy that varies from other teams.

Without a question, the selling process is vital to the success of a business. There is one aspect, though, to which marketers must pay particular attention, and that is the relationship they have with their customers. When it comes to creating and keeping a connection with customers, one of the strategies that a brand can use is to provide content that is meant to catch the attention of the target audience. It is only via two-way communication that a successful link can be established between a brand and its target audience. Additionally, the company gathers feedback from its customers via social media platforms in addition to giving information. In marketing, the phrase "engagement" refers to the emotional bond that exists between a brand and its customers. Positive interaction between a brand and customers who are interested in that brand results in the establishment of engagement (Falls, 2012). In the marketing world, consumer engagement with a brand is described as an emotional connection formed between the brand and its consumers (Carter, 2015). In its most basic definition, engagement is the clear exchange of information between a brand and its customers. This instance has attracted the attention of customers who are paying great attention to the information presented. Because of the contact between a company and its customers, consumers not only build loyalty but also offer feedback to the firm. Engagement is very important for any firm, and this one is no different. When a football club, such as Manchester United, wants to communicate with its customers to enhance customer engagement, one of the avenues they might use is social media. In the digital age, social media is a digital medium or website that allows users to communicate with one another while also enabling them to exchange information among themselves (McCarthy, 2014). Through social media, people may share information, knowledge, and opinions with one another. Social media is a phrase that refers to acts carried out by individuals online to exchange information, knowledge, and opinion (Kuzma, 2014). Considering the many social media terminology discussed above, it is feasible to infer that social media is a kind of media that is used to trade information online and by people to interact with one another. When it comes to maintaining a company's social media accounts, the role of the social media manager is vital to its success. The social media manager of an organization seeks to develop a sequence of actions for the distribution of content through social media that will be accepted by and attract the attention of the firm's customers. An understanding of how to manage and distribute content on social media is crucial for a social media manager to succeed. Businesses can utilize Instagram to interact with consumers and increase revenue. Individuals are attracted to Instagram because of the visual content it provides, which includes images and video snippets. Visuals are substantially more enticing than those that are solely textual in nature (Prastya, 2020). Consider the image below (Figure 3), which provides fans, including the young lad in front of the poster, with a sense of the history and culture of the Manchester United club, which is known for winning and having incredible players such as Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs, both of whom are depicted in the poster

Figure 3

In addition to the existence of followers, another important element to consider when providing material through social media is the number of followers. It is the number of followers that will influence the amount of information that is shared. The usage of social media in sporting activities such as football, where it is utilized as a communication tool, is an example of how social media is being used. The emotional connection that exists between a football club and its fans has been established for quite some time. The football club will make every effort to maintain the relationship and to give them the finest service possible. The most essential thing is to get the best possible result on the field. The question of what occurs off the field, on the other hand, must be taken into consideration as well. When football teams are not on the field, they may be found on social media, which is an activity that they participate in. When participating in this activity, the football team communicates with fans in the same way as it interacts with the media. Every club has its way of communicating with its members on social media, notably Instagram, which is distinct from the others. A football team's fans will react when the team provides information. A depiction of the amount of participation between a football club and its fans may be interpreted. Each team uses Instagram to send several various sorts of information to its followers to enhance engagement with them. A strategy for controlling each piece of material that is intended to attract the attention of supporters is also in place for each team. As a result, the study is taking place in this environment. The relationship that develops between a football club and its fans becomes more important to enhance participation levels. Another way that fans may contribute is to ask that people pay attention to their favourite teams or players. Because of this, a football club's social media manager attempts to manage social media, specifically Instagram, to build engagement with its fans by sharing various types of content that are related to the club's condition on and off the field, while also developing a strategy for managing each piece of content. For a piece of content to be effective, it must compel readers to act. A great strategy for managing each piece of content will influence the increase in followers, which will have an impact on the speed with which information travels.

In terms of sharing information regarding their match results, this club does a fantastic job of it. It is standard practice for them to provide a visual representation of their message in the form of images. When it comes to representing their club's identity in the image, the colors red and orange are utilised. The names and scores of Manchester United's players are also included, as is a list of the teams that participated in the tournament, as well as a link to a photo gallery featuring the players from that year's competition. The outcomes of the match, on the other hand, are just briefly stated in the description of the image. The full-time results will very certainly be sent to the club. Halftime results, on the other hand, are not always accessible. If the side is winning at half-time, the outcome of the match will be made public as well. When it comes to the substance of the results, half-time results are separate from full-time results (McCarthy, 2009). The club shows images of the players along with a description that contains the players' scores as well as an explanation of the goals they have scored. It said, "HT: Bournemouth 0 #MUFC 1 @juanmatagarcia gives us the lead." The caption for Manchester United read, "HT: Bournemouth 0 #MUFC 1 @juanmatagarcia gives us the lead." On August 14, 2016, the squad travelled to Bournemouth to take on the hosts. The result of the game was crucial not just for the main squad, but also for the whole youth team. To further educate its supporters on the youthful group, Manchester United is giving information to them via various media channels. An organization's entire success is dependent on the growth of its young squad, which is a vital component of that success. Manchester United had finally accepted the situation. A significant number of players from the youthful team have gone on to have successful careers. To illustrate, consider the result of a team match that took place on September 20th, 2016, in California. During a friendly encounter, the reserve squad of Manchester United overcame the Manchester City first team. There is a significant disparity between the results of the reserve team and those of the main squad in terms of outcomes. During the game, this team publishes photographs and information to keep the players up to date on the action. As the caption indicates, Scott McTominay scored twice in the Reserves' 3-2 victory against Derby on that specific night at Old Trafford.

Methodology

This chapter offers an overview of the activities that were undertaken to collect primary data that would be used to address the research question. I will use Stuart Hall's encoding or decoding paradigm in my study since it is relevant to my project's focus on audiences. A substantial shift in the media landscape has occurred since Hall published his theory of mass communication based on television in science in the 1970s, thanks to technological advances that have completely altered the news scene (Fenton, 2018). Even though social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter continue to create, distribute, and evaluate sports news, the model's essential assumptions may still be utilized in a contemporary context. Encoders and decoders, as well as social and professional context, must all be taken into account in this study, as well as the previously mentioned three potential interpretations of messages: dominant, negotiated and oppositional.

Primary research was undertaken to utilised a triangulation technique to provide a full understanding of the diverse viewpoints of sports media professionals and the general public. The triangulation approach consisted of one survey and two interviews, and the results were analyzed. The use of two or more research methodologies, according to Stokes, allows for the development of "a more textured knowledge of your topic of investigation". Using the survey, we were able to uncover trends, while the interviews gave comprehensive comments from football media experts with years of experience working in the area of sports journalism themselves.

Surveys are the most effective research approach for gathering information from a large number of individuals who have varying viewpoints on the same issue (Stokes, 2013). Surveys may be used to assess current public opinion because they "give a picture of how things are at the particular moment at which the data is obtained" (Denscombe, 2007). Because I had access to people from a wide range of races and backgrounds, I decided to conduct the poll online using Google Forms and disseminate it on Facebook. Participants were free to complete the survey at a time that was convenient for them. Participants may answer each question with their intuition rather than wasting time thinking about delivering the "right" response since multiple-choice questions are intuitive. Participants may be put off by long questions that require a lot of work from them.

The survey consisted of questions that were tailored to frequent themes that were important to my study subject and were not general. Participants selected an answer from a preset selection of replies for each question that best represented their personal opinions on the subject matter. Participants were given the option to offer an alternative response to several questions in the "other" box if they thought their point of view was not reflected in the alternatives presented. In the long run, this proved to be a drawback. The results of the poll were influenced by a few instances of incorrect use of the phrase. As an example, a survey question asked participants to choose the social media site they use the most often to stay up to date on the newest football developments. One person entered "Flashscore App" in the 'other' box even though the "Flashscore App" is the mobile edition of the free live score and football game summary, which is available online. The app does not have the same qualities that distinguish social media from other forms of communication - primarily the interactive and networked structure.

The participants' identities were not necessary to maintain anonymity; nevertheless, three preliminary questions were asked to gather information on their age, educational background, and geographic area, which are all significant for the study. People react and interpret media messages in various ways, according to Hall (1973), and their responses and decoding fluctuate depending on their socioeconomic condition. The results, as discussed in the literature review, imply that there are other elements at play than previously thought. Other factors, on the other hand, were not taken into consideration. Due to time constraints, I was only able to compare a few specific characteristics of the club. I should have added some more questions to allow for more comprehensive comparisons of the official and unofficial social media accounts.

The first interview took place with James Dunn, who works as the Head of social media and Audience for football tabloids, among other publications. For the first time in more than a decade, it was fascinating to hear the perspective of a sportswriter working in a position established particularly to manage his newspaper's social media presence in the sports sector (Harrolle, 2020). Football-related breaking news items are increasingly being reported and consumed via social media. Due to scheduling restrictions and other time restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, we were unable to meet in person with James Dunn for this interview. Instead, we conducted it via Zoom, which is a video conferencing software program. It did not take long for me to obtain the responses needed via this system of communication since it is almost instantaneous. This resulted in fewer delays in the dissertation writing process. After all, I could begin my analysis because I had the data. When it came to the second interview, was conducted face-to-face with Joe O’Brien, a sports journalism instructor at a certain university, which he preferred not to mention due to anonymity concerns he had.

Because I knew in advance what I wanted to cover in each interview, I was able to pre-plan my questions and have them ready to go. To accommodate the use of my organizational skills in the video conferencing form of communication, I had a list of questions that was completely organized in terms of design. As a result, the interview's breadth was not restricted since there were some options for fast follow-up questions to elaborate on some of the more fascinating topics raised throughout the interview. Several responses did not provide me with as much information as I had anticipated, but I was still unable to comment on them. As a result, I was aware of the power dynamics that might arise during interviews, which I attempted to avoid. They had complete control over what they spoke about and revealed in answers to the questions they were asked. They also had complete control over how much detail and information they chose to share with the public. This is true when sports journalists, or rather all journalists when speak about the media organizations for which they work or have worked.

The semi-structured questions that were compiled for the face-to-face interview were used to guide the conversation. I wanted the interviewee to be able to "explore thoughts and talk more broadly on the concerns highlighted" by responding without limits and deviating from the script. In contrast to the video conferencing interview, I was able to elaborate on a number of topics and obtain extensive responses. It was recorded on my cell phone and transcribed afterwards for additional analysis. The face-to-face interview lasted thirty-five minutes and forty-eight seconds and lasted twenty-seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds over the phone.

Because the survey and interview questions were neither invasive nor unduly personal in their tone, no one was offended by the material. Prior to participating in the experiment, participants were required to read and sign a consent form that stated the study title and purpose. Participants were also advised that they might withdraw from the study at any moment without having to provide a good explanation on the registration form. However, because the survey was conducted online, it was not possible to ask participants to complete a consent form. It was thus necessary to provide them with a summary of the survey's most relevant facts, such as confidentiality, minimum age requirements (18 years), and the possibility that their replies would be included in this dissertation.

By posting, commenting on, sharing, and liking information on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, both the platform's authors and its users contribute to the active engagement promoted by these actions. Because of this innocuous practice, numerous significant issues have arisen, especially in connection with the proliferation of social media as a news source, which is discussed more below. It is becoming more apparent that the online world is permeating the 'offline' world, with real-world implications on critical sectors of public life that need careful reporting, such as democratic institutions. The most prominent source of worry seems to be the way social media may impact how people perceive the world. A feeling of heightened uncertainty surrounds the long-term effect that the shift away from 'conventional' news sources to social media platforms will have on society as more people abandon 'traditional' news channels for social media platforms. In the absence of "centralized institutional foundations of the Fourth Estate" (Newman, Dutton, and Blank, 2012), the critical question of whether social media can fulfil the same journalistic functions as traditional media, particularly in terms of effectively informing the public, remains a contentious issue.

Social media, according to Kruse, Norris, and Flinchum, can "revitalize" the economy, including the sports business (Kruse, Norris and Flinchum, 2018). Habermas' idea of the public sphere, which he describes as an "essential aspect of deliberative democracies" (2018) in which rational discourse may take place, is described as follows: In practice, however, this is not always the case, as this chapter will demonstrate. According to Bruns (2018), the "gradual fragmentation of the core public sphere into a series of increasingly more diversified publics" has been prompted by the reduction in the usage of conventional news channels and the rising digitization of mass media. In subsequent years, Habermas revised his public sphere theory to include the idea that "public views are impacted by ordinary discussion in the informal settings or episodic publics," which he acknowledged because of this fragmentation. Key ideas such as "producers," "filter bubbles," and "the erosion of the gatekeeper model" all contribute considerably to fragmentation, especially in the football world, which results in the present issues that sports journalists and viewers are now facing This chapter examines how social media has impacted current sports journalism and news consumption via the lens of the Manchester United social media circle, which I acquired through interviews with two media professionals and a public poll. The findings of this chapter will be based on the findings of the literature review.

2.1. In addition to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+ accounts, Manchester United has a sizable following on each of these platforms. However, it is important to note that they did not get to where they are today by sipping on a cup of coffee. They have come a long way since they first started (Williams, 2014). Manchester United has surpassed all other Premier League teams in social media popularity, according to a recent study. The results of a study looked at the verified social media accounts of each football team competing in this season's Premier League to determine which club had the most followers on social media platforms.

Each team's total number of followers across all social media platforms (TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) was factored into the research. With a combined following of more than 171 million followers across various platforms, Manchester United is the most followed Premier League team on social media, according to the findings of the research. A staggering 76 million Facebook fans follow Manchester United, the world's most popular football team, more than any other club's total social media following (Hamil, 2008). Additionally, the club has the most amount of Instagram followers, with 54 million followers, making it the most followed club on the platform. Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward for Manchester United, is also the most followed person on Instagram, having more than 400 million followers at the time of writing.

Manchester United, or the Red Devils as they are known across the globe, have accomplished what other teams can only dream of. Companies may use social media to not only create dialogue but to also increase their brand's exposure. Manchester United is an excellent example of this (Hill, 2006). Apart from being one of the most successful and well-liked teams in football, Manchester United Red Devils have a worldwide fan base. Manchester United's social media following was just the third highest in the world last year, even though the club claims to be the most popular in the world of sport. Particularly on TikTok, where the Red Devils have just 1.2 million followers as of 2020, there is room for improvement there.

It would be difficult to argue with the fact that Manchester United has supporters all around the globe. However, the fact that it has a worldwide following of 659 million people - out of a total of five billion adults around the globe - is still rather astounding. It is important to note that this is not simply a random number pulled out of thin air. When Sir Alex Ferguson oversaw the club, the Red Devils used to be the dominant force in both England and Europe. Liverpool won the Champions League and the Premier League in the previous season, making them the second-most successful club in England after the previous season's victory (Szymanski, 1998). Manchester United has had difficult times recently, but the club's supporters have chosen to remain loyal to their team. Manchester United is the most popular team in the world, with over 73 million Facebook followers, making it the most followed. Chelsea is a close second, with a fan base of over 70 million. Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool each have about 20 million fans, whereas the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Cubs, and Miami Heat each have fewer than 5 million supporters.

Social media has evolved into something like Google in recent years, becoming something that many cannot live without. With the help of social media, firms from a variety of sectors have been able to continue to grow their brands. However, football teams have not yet been left out in the cold. For Manchester United or the Red Devils, as they are lovingly known, this is the case. Companies may use social media to not only create dialogue but to also increase their brand's exposure. Manchester United is a shining example of this Apart from being one of the most successful and well-liked teams in football, Manchester United Red Devils have a worldwide fan base. The club has amassed a following base of more than 659 million people since becoming an internationally recognized professional sports brand.

At the time, it is believed that the club's website was visited by 47 million people, indicating its prominence as a brand. As of this writing, the club's website is the most popular in terms of traffic around the globe, beating out the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool. An average of 8.5 million people visit the company's website each month. The website of the worldwide company is accessible in seven different languages to better serve its international customer base. All of this is being done to appeal to the interests and preferences of their followers all around the globe. And it is one of the many reasons why Manchester United have been successful in developing an internationally recognized brand that can be found both online and offline.

Commercial functions of social media.

Nearly every marketer struggles to come up with a strategy for making their content more fascinating and engaging. When it comes to sports, the story takes on a whole other angle. The fact that it is a sport that people like watching has already gotten them excited. As a result, the weight of responding to all the feedback and remarks from enthused fans and supporters falls on the shoulders of the team. A similar situation exists in the case of Manchester United. They seldom react to the comments left by their followers. A possible reason for this is the enormous number of comments they get from their fans, even if we are unable to pinpoint the actual source. Football fans, after all, are always ready to chime in. It does not really matter whether the team has a losing record, if the transfer window is closed, or if the players have had a poor season (Shaw, 2007).

Content

To capitalize on this opportunity, they have been providing short video snippets, whether it's about the acquisition of new players, a glimpse at practice, or an overall update on the team. With more than 90,000 views on YouTube, it shows that its videos are more appealing to its audience and well-received by supporters (Poulton, 2017). To show how well they are using their followers to market their sponsors' companies to their supporters, they often post sponsored content on Facebook. To ensure that their sponsor's "well never runs dry" in terms of sponsorship, this is a clear illustration of how the brand generates revenue for them.

Twitter

There is an 18-minute average lifetime for a tweet. Using Twitter correctly may provide amazing benefits for any business. One hundred and twenty thousand followers in its first month of operation in 2013 has grown to more than 12.1 million as of this writing. Because they only follow 106 accounts, it is a little ironic. When they first began using Twitter, they made use of hashtags that were associated with many of their main players to better interact with their fans. Even though Manchester United was a little late to the Twitter party, they did so with a plan that has seen their followership grow day in and day out since its inception.

As with Facebook, none of their postings is sent out through Twitter unless they are accompanied by a picture or a short video. As mentioned, the successful use of visual imagery is done by the club’s social media team. Yes, they are continuing to grow their brand in this manner. With 24.4 million and 21.1 million social media followers, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona continue to exceed them despite their massive fan bases (Tsordia, 2021). Their English-language Twitter account is only one of ten that they run in ten different languages to better meet the needs of their global audience, which includes people in the United States. The Club's internet presence has been greatly aided by Twitter, especially in the last several years. It has provided them with a chance to communicate with their followers in a more innovative manner. Despite this, they do not reply to their supporters.

Content

Google + (https://plus.google.com/)

Instagram

Another of Manchester United's social media outlets is Instagram to maximize the internet's resources. As a more visual network than either Facebook or Twitter, Instagram still offers plenty of opportunities for the Club to interact with its followers. Their Instagram account now boasts 18.4 million followers and has more than 6,500 posts to its credit. On their Instagram account, they make extensive use of crisp photographs and short videos, which is noticeable. Their use of pictures to generate material that is both visually attractive and engaging has no bounds, ranging from locker room photographs of their players' hanging jerseys to cheerleader photos to stadium photos of their supporters at the stadium. As their fan base continues to develop, so does the Manchester United brand, which is growing in tandem with it.

Sina Weibo, where they post in Chinese and receive a lot of responses, is where they have a big following, and it's something that other teams can only hope for. Sina Weibo content and images are almost identical to those on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Instagram; the main difference is that the content is written in Chinese rather than English on these social networking platforms. Manchester's brand continues to resonate with its intended target population, as seen by this campaign. Marketing and digital gurus should follow Manchester United's lead and provide their fans with what they want via social media, as shown by their usage of various social media channels. Regardless of your sector, improving the methods by which people connect with your brand may aid in the online development of your company's brand. Prior to launching a social media campaign, focus on building your brand and gaining a following on the channels you're most familiar with.

Impact that social media accounts have had on the operation of the Manchester United team.

It is common for business individuals to purchase sports teams, and the choices they make, such as adjustments to ticket pricing or match sites, do not always sit well with the fans. It is often believed that club owners are more concerned with the team being financially profitable than with the team being competitive. Supporters think that the money they spend on tickets benefits the team, and they want their views to be considered by the team's owners when they make decisions regarding them (Ahmed, 2015).

In Germany, supporters have a 51 per cent ownership in a team, known as the 50+1 rule, and as a result, have a stronger voice in the choices made by the club. This was one of the reasons why German clubs did not participate in the European Super League, which has since been discontinued (ESL). Manchester United supporters also banded together to prevent the formation of the ESL by being very vocal in their opposition to it on social media.

As a result, the ESL serves as an excellent illustration of the influence of social media in football. Football fans across the world are benefiting from the growth of social media, which has spawned several useful professions. YouTube is the most important medium for content producers to establish a name and a following for their work. For example, practically all of the clubs in the English Premier League, if not all of them, as well as other teams, have their own YouTube feeds at the moment. These channels are often referred to by their official club names, as is the case with Manchester United, whose channel is also referred to as Manchester United. Some football-related YouTube channels have millions of subscribers. These content providers generate daily material or weekly programs, and they have the clout to get interviews with well-known players or coaches, among others.

This is done on a full-time basis on these channels, and some of them have an almost cult following. Rather than watching conventional television programs, for many, they are the first place they go to find out about the newest football news. Although Instagram's approach is more to the point than YouTube's, with stories and short films or photographs being used, it has also spawned many employments and prospects in this industry. Some Instagram profiles have tens of thousands of thousands of followers. One account, 433, even has its own awards presentation, which is held annually.

People often will face fierce competition when building their social media accounts, but with determination and hard effort, they will be able to build a solid reputation and amass a respectable number of followers. The options are almost limitless. The world of football has seen tremendous transformations throughout the years. The rise of social media has marked a significant shift, both for the better and for the worst. On the other side, the level of internet hatred directed against players and coaches is one of the most concerning features (this happens everywhere, not just in football).

Using the anonymity of the internet, individuals can say things they wouldn't say in real life. Because of this, the consequences of their sloppy use of language are very limited or nonexistent. However, social media has also provided a wealth of opportunities for football fans to make a profession out of it, as well as a platform for supporters to express their views on their favourite teams. At a time like this, when stadiums throughout the world have been entirely deserted due to a virus, this is very important. We are just now beginning to see supporters being permitted to see their teams in person again, so perhaps we will be able to return to normalcy very soon.

Social media is not for everyone, especially because of the time demands it takes to stand out in such a market with millions of channels slugging it out to reach the top. Nevertheless, it is possible to succeed, and not only can one be independent, but most significantly, individuals are working while doing what they love. It has the potential to be financially profitable. Social media is transforming the way sports stars, clubs and fans are communicating from live-tweeting games, producing caustic memes and cheering from the virtual realm, viewers are no longer just watching sport, and they can frequently obtain news, insights, and opinion right from the source. Singaporean pundit Walter Lim argues that social media and sport are ‘a combination made in heaven. The quick, personal, and participatory characteristics of social and mobile technologies give them great platforms to feed our sports impulses.

While fans have resorted to social media to convey their passion for sport, some athletic teams and players are finding it tougher. If social media is making it feasible for fans to be more involved, it is also making it possible for sports professionals to be more responsible for their public statements and the way they, in return, connect with their followers and the larger community. Social networking networks represent a minefield for certain users. Posts and updates by sports authorities and players that may at best be regarded as ‘incautious’ are leading to those persons being questioned in the media and occasionally being chastised and punished.

Recently, the Manchester United fans have been sick of their team losing and they are also sick of the constant social media apologies from players which do not solve any of the issues at hand. Manchester United’s recent defeats have all left the fan base devastated and coming in such quick succession, that the apologies have obviously felt empty and provoked some backlash.

How the Manchester United team uses the social media accounts to protect its reputation against the agents of defamation.

For the duration of the boycott, the club and the Manchester United Foundation will deactivate all official social media profiles throughout the globe, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A thorough inquiry has been undertaken by Manchester United to discover the level of abuse that players face on social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The investigation looked at online behavior from September 2019 to February 2021 and searched for hostile phrases being used against athletes' names or account handles. It also looked for racist, homophobic, and abusive remarks, which were all covered.

According to the findings of the investigation, there has been a 350 per cent spike in abuse aimed against the club's players since September of this year. Every abusive message was classified in the research, with 3,300 posts targeting players who were currently playing for Manchester United being identified over the reporting period. Abuse directed at fans is also common on social media platforms. The evaluation highlighted the rising problem of user-to-user abuse within the football community, which is expected to see a significant increase beginning in the summer of 2020. Most of these messages were racist in character, with 43% being such, and just 7% being homophobic or transphobic.

"Through our All Red All Equal project, we have been actively working against prejudice for quite some time," stated Richard Arnold, Group Managing Director. In spite of the overwhelming public support we have received, these stats show that abuse aimed at our players and supporters is on the rise. Notwithstanding this, the amount of vitriol aimed against our players and supporters is on the rise. "Although these numbers are worrisome, they only represent 0.01% of the conversations about the club and its players that take place on social media. We, along with the rest of English football, are engaging in this boycott this weekend to draw attention to this issue. It will generate discussion and raise awareness of the level to which our athletes and fans are abused."

As a result, Manchester United initiated club punishment procedures against six persons who are believed to have broken club regulations by attacking Tottenham's Heung-Min Son on social media after the match on April 11. Unfortunately, three-season ticket holders, two official members, and one individual who was on the season ticket waiting list were suspended, all of whom have the option to appeal their bans. As shown by this disciplinary action, the club's dedication to the fight against discrimination on a variety of fronts can be seen. United's anti-discrimination campaign, SEE RED, was launched earlier in the month, and this is the latest example of that. SEE RED has urged supporters to recognize the contributions of the club's Black and Asian players while also reporting instances of discrimination. Through the manutd.com/seered website, the club has also put up an online reporting mechanism for supporters to utilize. United will collaborate with the Premier League to ensure that any complaints received are sent to the appropriate social media sites and authorities.

Conclusion

Due to the obvious open and networked disposition of social media, as well as its distinctive participatory elements affecting football clubs and Manchester United in particular (such as commenting and sharing), this research demonstrates that social media has brought about a significant shift in the practice of sports journalism and contemporary sports news consumption, with negative ramifications that affect both the online and offline world.

It is indeed easy to distribute false information on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook since users can connect with people all over the globe without leaving their homes or offices. A significant amount of the fake material is related to important themes such as club politics and the individual and personal concerns of numerous football players, among other things. Misinformation has the potential to negatively impact the beliefs and actions of those who are exposed to it, such as how people develop ideas about political persons and parties, therefore jeopardizing the integrity of democratic institutions. Because of the believable headlines and page branding that make misinformation look respectable, it is easy to be fooled by the legitimacy and professional appearance of the deception. Disinformation on social media is widespread, affecting people of all ages, educational backgrounds, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, academics should examine the bigger picture and determine if social media is a mirror of the fractured sports world in which we live.

As public confidence in sports journalism and football politics continues to erode, social media platforms give a venue for like-minded individuals to interact with one another. The reduction in newspaper circulations, coupled with an increase in social media use, suggests that news creation and consumption, particularly regarding numerous English football teams and Manchester United may be hampered indefinitely.

Ahmed, Z., Gull, M., & Rafiq, U. (2015). Factors affecting consumer switching behavior: Mobile phone market in Manchester-United Kingdom. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 5(7), 1-7.

Denscombe, M. (2007) The good research guide: for small-scale social research projects. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Fenton, A., & Helleu, B. (2018). Digital and social media. In Routledge handbook of football business and management (pp. 101-113). Routledge.