Social media is great right? So many of us in this industry rely on it to share our adventures, our content, our thoughts. If you’re good at it, or if you’ve studied it at all, you know, like I do, that social media is so much more than just a way for all of us to connect with each-other. It’s a machine.
Behind the scenes there’s a complex set of programs, “the algorithm.” If you know how to leverage it, its really a big help. If you know how to make things hit, you can really boost the popularity of your content. In a lot of ways social media is a crazy amazing tool. But… It’s exhausting. You might disagree, there is a bit of a rush you get when something picks up that steam.
Here’s the rub though. It’s not natural. Social media promotes the “best”, and in many cases most controversial, posts. Social platforms reward content that gets engagement, the things that get the most engagement are usually the things that bring in the most controversy. What that means is, if you spend enough time on social media, you’ll start getting only the most controversial posts. In the long run, this takes it toll on you.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you need to turn your back on social media. I think it’s a great tool for promotion. But if you spend all of your time there, it can be bad for you.
Our sport is all about communities. Personally I got into this sport while sitting at my desk early in my career. I worked in a help desk, a lot of time at a computer, and found a community called Jeepaholics Anonymous. I got SO involved, and learned so much. Everyone there was friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to share their knowledge. I learned to do the same. The big difference here was that this was a community of people who came together naturally around a topic they all loved. The internet at that time was full of these sorts of communities. People naturally coming together around a thing they love. In some ways social media is the evolution of those communities, it’s replaced so many of them.
We thought social media would bring us all together. But the reality is, social media, driven by these viral algorithms, is only driving us all apart.
I suggest a better way.
Today I am launching the Dirt Social network. Today, you’ll find a simple social platform that has a similar feeling to Twitter. There is no algorithm. There is no ulterior motive to collect social profiles on users to sell for a profit. There are people, people who share a love of the outdoors and off-road. I invite you to join me! Come and build natural networks with people, share your adventures, and your knowledge. Not for the clicks, but for the love of the sport. I don’t want you to turn your back on the big platforms. But I want you all to have a chill place to hang out by the fire and chat with fellow off-roaders. Come on over, and look me up, @nate.