Submitted by: Gregory Fowler
“It Gets Better” is an internet-based project founded by syndicated columnist Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller. The focus of the project is suicide prevention among gay teens who are bullied. Originally intended as a Youtube channel in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, the It Gets Better Project has grown to over 20,000 videos of adults from all sexual orientations encouraging youths that life does get better. Its website features endorsements from numerous celebrities, nonprofit organizations, corporations, universities, and most recently, major league baseball teams.
The teams that have made videos for the project include the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
At first, I was surprised that not all of the teams in Major League Baseball had made videos for the project. However, it seems that the individual teams are deciding to make these videos, not MLB as an organization. Interestingly, different teams use different language in their PSA. In addressing the issue, some teams use the acronym LGBT, whereas others use the words, “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender“. Why this difference in language?
I did some research into the home cities of the teams who made the PSAs. It seemed to me that any correlation between teams that endorsed the video and those who didn’t could be solved by the looking at the social geography of their home cities. This was not the case. I couldn’t find any correlation between the teams that made the videos and the size of gay populations in those cities that might indicate new target markets. Nor could I find a correlation with teams that have falling attendance rates, or any other economic strategies aimed at generating more income. Also, it doesn’t seem that teams that have a smaller fan bases are attempting to look at new nationwide demographics either.
After exhausting my ideas about why certain teams would endorse the It Gets Better Project, I was reminded of the discussion of social norms. Social norms are the rules that a group uses to define appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, in the case of these videos, the perception of social norms and how they are influenced through media is what I found interesting. These athletes’ personal beliefs surrounding sexuality become, in a way, social issues by virtue of their prominent positions and status as role models, as well as speaking as a united team. This is particularly true if we can rule out obvious economic interests in gaining new fans.
The It Gets Better Project is, by itself, an example of how technology takes personal issues of sexuality and presents them in a social context. The rate at which the project is expanding shows how effectively media transforms these individuals’ stories from personal issues into public discussions, where broad social norms regarding sexuality have the potential to be greatly influenced. This influence comes not only by the celebrities and organizations that have endorsed the project, but from the depersonalization of private issues from the people uploading their stories.
“It Gets Better” is an internet-based project founded by syndicated columnist Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller. The focus of the project is suicide prevention among gay teens who are bullied. Originally intended as a Youtube channel in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, the It Gets Better Project has grown to over 20,000 videos of adults from all sexual orientations encouraging youths that life does get better. Its website features endorsements from numerous celebrities, nonprofit organizations, corporations, universities, and most recently, major league baseball teams.
The teams that have made videos for the project include the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
At first, I was surprised that not all of the teams in Major League Baseball had made videos for the project. However, it seems that the individual teams are deciding to make these videos, not MLB as an organization. Interestingly, different teams use different language in their PSA. In addressing the issue, some teams use the acronym LGBT, whereas others use the words, “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender“. Why this difference in language?
I did some research into the home cities of the teams who made the PSAs. It seemed to me that any correlation between teams that endorsed the video and those who didn’t could be solved by the looking at the social geography of their home cities. This was not the case. I couldn’t find any correlation between the teams that made the videos and the size of gay populations in those cities that might indicate new target markets. Nor could I find a correlation with teams that have falling attendance rates, or any other economic strategies aimed at generating more income. Also, it doesn’t seem that teams that have a smaller fan bases are attempting to look at new nationwide demographics either.
After exhausting my ideas about why certain teams would endorse the It Gets Better Project, I was reminded of the discussion of social norms. Social norms are the rules that a group uses to define appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, in the case of these videos, the perception of social norms and how they are influenced through media is what I found interesting. These athletes’ personal beliefs surrounding sexuality become, in a way, social issues by virtue of their prominent positions and status as role models, as well as speaking as a united team. This is particularly true if we can rule out obvious economic interests in gaining new fans.
The It Gets Better Project is, by itself, an example of how technology takes personal issues of sexuality and presents them in a social context. The rate at which the project is expanding shows how effectively media transforms these individuals’ stories from personal issues into public discussions, where broad social norms regarding sexuality have the potential to be greatly influenced. This influence comes not only by the celebrities and organizations that have endorsed the project, but from the depersonalization of private issues from the people uploading their stories.
Allen Bradford
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying. Ive seen the commercials and couldn't help but to think about the other major sports dominating the U.S. I believe it is common knowledge that there are homosexual men in all sports leagues, but because of their stature they have to hide who they are. Im visit a gossip website daily and you always here about players being caught with other gay men or transexuals. The burden on these men must be tremendous given the natural masculine nature of sports. I think that videos like this may ease life for some, but they will never fully "come out the closet" because society will never look at them the same, and its a shame.