The Impact of a Pandemic on Social Media in Post-secondary Education Athletics Departments

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the impact of a pandemic on the use of social media in post-secondary education athletics departments. There is limited research pertaining to social media within post-secondary education athletics departments. Research was conducted through seven interviews with professionals who work in social media for their athletics departments and a content analysis of the social media channels for five colleges in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Through both primary and secondary research, it was found that the pandemic caused many fitness facilities to pivot to virtual programming and focus on health and wellness. This study consisted of colleges in the GTA and is, therefore, limited to this region, as the region differentiates from other parts of the province and country due to factors such as population, diversity and funding for these schools.