Much of social media can seem unreal and toxic - so it takes someone with a life story that's positive but scarcely believable to redefine it.

Jay DeMerit spent so much of his career lifting his teammates at Watford - now he's doing the same for everyone on social media.

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Jay DeMerit scored in Watford's Championship playoff final win over Leeds in 2006Credit: PA:Press Association

The 45-year-old has co-founded a new venture with FC 26 publishers, Electronic Arts (EA), billed as Masterclass [a concept where the pros start to coach] meets TikTok.

RISExSHINE (RxS) is a new, interactive media platform designed to be a healthier and safer alternative to traditional social media.

In 2022, a report from the Alan Turing Institute, commissioned by Ofcom, found that seven out of ten Premier League footballers face abuse on X, fka Twitter. One in 14 receives abuse every day.

Ofcom analysis of 2.3 million tweets in the first half of the 2021/22 season found that Cristiano Ronaldo topped a list of eight Manchester United players inside the top ten for receiving the most abuse.

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A year later, findings released by FIFA and Fifpro revealed that one in five players at the...