The Olympic Gold Medalists on Instagram: A Data Mining Approach to Study User Characteristics

Olympic champions have been real idols for a significant portion of society, and by the advent of social media, their influence has increased rapidly. Despite their impact, they have been less studied. A primary step to grasp their cyber character is to examine their Instagram characteristics with possible gender differences and correlations between these characteristics. By applying a data-driven approach, this study utilizes a content analysis method to analyze photos of Olympic gold medalists on Instagram. In this vein, male gold medalists show a monotonously positive relationship between their following/follower ratio and the engagement/follower ratio. Also, the ratio of self-presentation turned out to have a solid monotonous negative relationship with age in both male and female gold medalists, which even takes a linear form in men. In line with the related theories and literature, these findings can help athletes manage and grow their brand on social media.