The Announcement
My friend forwarded me a picture of an Instagram post from a player announcing their logic for switching soccer clubs. The player thanked their former club but said they were excited to begin a new chapter in their soccer career. Did I mention, the player is eight years old?
I’ve been thinking about Social Media lately, because I’m always on Social Media. I had to get “Hooked In.” Is that a hip phrase or a Social Media platform for people looking for work in brothels? I never wanted a presence on Social Media, but I wanted an audience for my writing without it costing me money. It’s a proven fact, if one writes as a hobby but never has an audience, he turns into Ted Kaczynski. Others may turn into J.D. Salinger, like J.D. Salinger for example.
Some people think Social Media will be societies undoing and purged all Social Media platforms. I’m not sure who they are; they’re too tough to get a hold of. I just noticed I capitalize the term Social Media; apparently that’s how important I think it is or, maybe, how important it is. I looked it up; social media doesn’t need to be capitalized.
Let me tell you what I love about social media:
I love watching old clips of Maradona, Barry Sanders and Pistol Pete Maravich
I love my brother’s photos of sunrises
I love Bobby Gansler Jr’s Wisconsin soccer archives and his latest documentary on the 1976 Bavarian Amateur National Championship.
I love reconnecting with friends
I love reading great writing, so Jim A and Joe C, keep it up
I love everything silly – and can spend hours taking part in games like “Change one letter to ruin your favorite band name” i.e. Blondie = Blandie or The Cure to The Curd. There are so many variations and many of the best not suitable for this blog.
Here’s what I don’t love:
I don’t love kids not being kids. Did this child who switched clubs check every few minutes to see how many “likes” they got? Did their parents? Why did people “like” this? And what’s next? Maybe announcing an eight-year-old break-up due to their partner’s obsession with shoving crayons up their nose? This social media addiction for attention, feedback and validation can’t be healthy - excuse me – is not healthy.
I wish I had a solution, but I don’t, and frankly I don’t have time to think about it. It’s Wednesday, the day I check “Ponderings from The Pitch’s” analytics and see how many “views” I got. Last week I got two “views” from Morocco and one from Thailand – which obviously means “Ponderings” has, nearly, confirmed my status as an “Influencer” but not quite “Guru” or “Shaman.” I just need to get on a few more platforms, hone my hashtag game, start wearing light eyeliner, trim my brows, use an English accent and mention more about cats and relationships and my “hits” and “likes” will quadruple – as will my self-esteem.
