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Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice posted bikini photos of herself to Twitter recently, sparking criticism.

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(CNN) -- Did you know that Olympic track hopeful Lolo Jones is a virgin on the prowl for a date? Or that British swimmer Rebecca Adlington quit Twitter because meanies kept insulting her looks? The dirt that years ago would have been lost in the fray of the Olympic Games is now at the top of your Facebook feed.

In the lead-up to major sporting events, media have traditionally churned out human interest stories highlighting a softer side of the people we put on pedestals for their athletic prowess. We learn about their families, the obstacles they've overcome, their grueling diet and training regimen.

In the last few years however, with the rise of tabloid and citizen journalism, and of course social media, the story lines have changed. Now we read anecdotes about athletes deemed "too fat" for competition by Olympic bosses, no less. The human interest stories are still there, but as an information-obsessed population, our interests seem to have changed.

U.S. track and field star Lolo Jones.

As the lines of communication open up, the pressure to maintain a squeaky clean code of conduct increases, says professor David Rowe of the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Western Sydney. Athletes unfamiliar with this pressure may find themselves under the microscope for what seems like a harmless joke.

Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice is no stranger to social media controversies. Last week, she tweeted a photo of herself wearing a low-cut bikini, a birthday gift from designer Ellie Gonsalves. The risqu shot drew instant criticism in the Twitterverse; one follower even called for her to be dropped from the Olympic team.

This isn't the first time the gold medalist has found herself in hot water. In 2008, the then-20-year-old posted a picture of herself in a skin-tight navy blue police uniform to her Facebook account. And in 2010, she called the South African rugby team a homophobic slur on Twitter after they lost to Australia.

Representatives for Rice declined to comment for this report.

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Olympians' social media pressure