Why South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou decided to cancel Twitter.
Jason Demetriou, a coach at South Sydney, has been active on social media for quite some time, a rarity among coaches, as far as we know (shout out to all those coaches with anonymous accounts). However, over the summer, after facing a year of scrutiny and unrest at the Bunnies, Demetriou decided to deactivate his Twitter account, at least the one known as “X”.
“Twitter was the one where I thought: ‘I don’t need this rubbish’,” Demetriou stated from the lobby of the team hotel in La Jolla. “I’m not somebody who likes to criticize people or share opinions on things I know little about or have no experience in. That’s what Twitter seems to be full of these days. It reached a point where I said, ‘Enough is enough – it’s time to shut this down’.”
Towards the end of last year, this columnist contacted Demetriou regarding an interaction he had on Instagram, which was being discussed among some of his players. This occurred during a time when relationships within the club were being questioned externally. The last thing he needed was to be caught liking a comment on Instagram ridiculing two of his forwards after a loss earlier in the season.
Demetriou was embarrassed when he learned of the incident, immediately apologizing to Jacob Host. The fact that Knight left the club mid-season to join the Bulldogs probably gives you an idea of where that relationship stood, but Demetriou was concerned for Host.
“The Hosty one was genuinely disappointing because that was me just scrolling through and accidentally hitting the ‘like’ button,” said Demetriou. “I brought him to the [Dragons] when he was 18 or 19. He knows my thoughts on him. I was really disappointed in myself for being foolish enough to do that. He just laughed it off. But again, it’s another example of where we were at. We were having negative conversations because we weren’t winning.”
“Even when you’re winning, the negativity on social media is relentless. And it’s nonsense. Honestly, I don’t mind people who have opinions on things or want to discuss footy. But it’s the other stuff, and you’d face it in your job as well.”
“The personal attacks from people who don’t know you or what you’re about. That’s the downside of social media. Not just for coaches, but for anyone using it. Especially young people. It’s definitely given the weak a voice, that’s for sure.”
Demetriou is still active on Instagram, using it to keep in touch with friends he has made while working overseas. However, his Twitter/X account is now closed, and he takes issue with the keyboard warriors who he believes create a false sense of reality that influences key figures in the media.
“For me, part of the problem was that guys in the media and journalists were using those comments to form an opinion or understand what people might be thinking en masse,” he explained.
“Most of the time, it’s the minority, but it’s reported as the majority of people’s feelings. That’s where it’s not always accurate. Not everyone who thinks you’re doing a good job is going to get on there and tell you that. Mostly, it’s people who have something negative to say about you.”
“Anyone can get on there with an anonymous name and criticize. I have much more respect for people who put their name to it and share their opinion about coaching and footy. When it crosses the line, I’ve got no time for it.”
Demetriou has witnessed the significant impact social media can have on players, particularly Latrell Mitchell, who has been subjected to vile racial abuse over the years. It’s a stark contrast to the world he played in.
“In my day, it was more about the fan forums they used to have,” he recalled.
“Players would come to training with their heads down and in a bad mood, and you could tell they’d just been on the chat forums reading what people were saying about them.”
“It was harder to access those. Now, access is so easy for the players, and I think a lot of the storylines are drawn from what is being driven by people on social media. Players have to understand that’s part of the game.”
