Social media Olympics started in 2010 Vancouver when 13% of opening ceremony viewers were also online. You're watching conventional broadcast while checking Facebook simultaneously, which felt revolutionary. The IOC's official Facebook page hit 1.2 million followers and everyone celebrated this achievement. Today, the 2026 Olympics Facebook page has 123,000 followers while the main Olympics page has 31 million. That 1.2 million number that seemed massive in 2010 now looks quaint. The scale didn't just grow, it exploded in ways nobody designing the first social media Olympics could have predicted.

Why does NBC bring influencers into Olympic Village now instead of just posting clips? Because influencers import their audiences with them. The 2026 games get called the creator Olympics, not the social media Olympics. The evolution: 2010 integrated Facebook and Twitter into broadcasts, then came highlight-focused social media on TV that didn't work, then celebrity hosts, then cable cutting forced apps and streaming bundles that circle back to where it started. Meanwhile, body-borne cameras on athletes are being discussed for future contests. The advertisers followed patriotism first, then monetization strategies evolved to chase wherever audiences migrated.

Next time you watch Olympics coverage, you'll notice whether you're watching the sport or watching someone else watch the sport. The shift from conventional media integrating social platforms to social creators importing their audiences into Olympic events changes who controls viewership. That biathlon skiing and shooting combination still works because the sport itself creates tension. But most Olympic consumption now happens through curated clips of sports you already love, not discovering new ones through Sunday afternoon CBC rolls.

Topics: social media Olympics, Olympic viewership evolution, influencer marketing, media ecosystem integration, cable cutting trends

GUEST: Dr. Christopher Schneider | Brandon University

Originally aired on 2026-02-05