Action Sports, Social Media, and New Technologies

Abstract

Action sport participants have always been actively involved in the consumption and production of niche cultural media. However, the proliferation of new media technologies is playing an evermore important role in the ongoing progression of skills among athletes and committed recreational participants, and building a sense of community among enthusiasts and audiences across local, national, and global contexts. More than repeating previous patterns, such media technologies are contributing to new relationships between corporations, action sporting bodies, and communities. This article sets out a research agenda for understanding new media developments in action sports. In the first part of this article, I detail how new digital media are being used by corporations, athletes, and everyday participants, and in so doing, are transforming the networks and connections within and across action sport communities. In the second, I describe how new media technologies such as GoPros™, camera drones, and GPS tracking devices are changing action sport experiences and the relationship between “human” and “nonhuman” sporting bodies. As well as revealing emerging issues, this article also poses a series of critical questions and challenges to researchers interested in contributing to new understandings of the latest media technologies in action sport cultures.