The dark side of virtual world and its consequences for racquet sports athletes

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Nowadays society has a high use of technological resources, which has positive and negative points. Thus, it is necessary to understand the risks and influences that can occur in different contexts due to the misuse of existing tools in the virtual sphere, including in sports.
OBJECTIVE: Analyze the occurrence of the phenomena that occur in cyberworld and the consequences in tennis and table tennis college players.
METHODS: This study has a quali-quantitative approach, with a descriptive nature. The sample consisted of 14 university athletes (10 male and 4 female), tennis and/or table tennis players, with an average age of 23.42 years. A questionnaire was applied, referring to several aspects of performance in the virtual world. Descriptive statistical analysis of the data was performed.
RESULTS: It was possible to perceive that the participants presented a high use of virtual social networks and other technological resources, admitting that they have already seen or experienced virtual crimes, being exposed to the dangers existing in the network. In addition, most of the athletes admited that relationships can be negatively affected if virtual crime situations occur within the team. Part of the sample mentions that they would abandon the sport due to cases of sexting and/or cyberbullying. However, few athletes seem to take any action when they see cybercrime occurring in cyberspace. Another highlighted point is that several emotional changes arise in the face of embarrassing situations in cyber world, generally seen as negative, resulting in a drop in income.
CONCLUSION: The Internet and its resources, when misused, can generate emotional interference in athletes, requiring them to know how to deal with these situations. Therefore, it is essential that individuals should be better informed about the risks and dangers that exist in the cyberworld, mainly due to the high exposure that users may experience.