![]() ![]() Convenience and safety! What a glorious time we live in! You can even be sure you aren't going to get lost as long as you turn on your GPS and keep checking the screen throughout your ride. Apps provide the perfect trail, with descriptions of the terrain and photos of the scenery. Accessibility is simple with social media. You can spend hours dreaming of what it would be like to shred there or jump that. ![]() Photos of stunning places, gorgeous bikes, and mind-blowing action create a powerful urge to ride your bike. Social media also provides inspiration to ride. You can find a riding partner from your couch, just by swiping and typing. ![]() ![]() Social media has simplified connecting with people who share the same interests. Instantly, the benefits of social media and The Ride are apparent: The ability to connect with other riders, inspiration, and accessibility. Our church, the pillar of it all, the reason for all the wheels, carbon, dirt, metal, rubber, shovels and blood: The Ride. Let's talk about the sport as it relates to a rider. First, I need to define "our sport" for this context. Well, this is a hammer of a question that I'm probably not certified to answer, but I can share my opinion and experience. As many have said less social media and more riding is the best recipe for true happiness. We get to see new trails we never would have seen, get to see trail builders doing their magic and applaud them, so there has been some good. without having to go far, and they can get that info/image very quickly. On the upside for brands and consumers, it has given brands more reach for less cost and given consumers the ability to learn about products, events, etc. On the subject of people pushing their limits and stunt for ‘likes,' well, people have always been risk-takers and always will be. Having an athlete engage with a real person at an event, race, or ride will always be more powerful, yet less ‘measureable’ than some stupid Instagram post. Made worse by outsiders and bean counters coming into brands only to measure the success of athletes (products as well) solely by the social reach, which bothers me to lean on that ROI from social solely, and not relying on real-world experiences. It has made the sports marketing side worse in the way that bikini shots get more ‘likes’ than an impressive racing accolade or sweet new section made by a trail crew. But that is a societal issue that's not so much specific to ‘social in mountain biking.’ Well, it hasn’t made my life or yours ‘better’ and in some ways has made things worse, mainly in the way of narcissism, selfies, or bragging about your awesome (but probably shitty) life. But I also want to hear from you: is social media having a positive or negative impact on our sport? Below, I bounce the question off a handful of industry vets, both professional and lifestyle athletes, and also weigh-in with my own thoughts. Now, I'm not sure how he figured out the percentage of those that were GoPro and Kodak-related, or if the numbers went up simply because the number of participants went up, but I'm assuming that he might also be assuming.Īnyway, while I wholeheartedly disagree with Peruzzi's sentiments on social media being at least somewhat responsible for more injuries and deaths, the topic left me wondering what everyone else thinks. To be fair, Peruzzi talks about losing friends in outdoor accidents, so the subject is understandably close to his heart, and he does back up his thoughts with stats that show an ever-increasing number of rescues and hospital visits between 2007 to 2013. Kodak courage is the culprit, supposedly, and he even goes so far as to say, '' And so it went that once healthy outdoor pursuits devolved into suicide clubs.'' Strange, I sure as hell don't remember signing up for any Heaven's Gate-esque mountain bike club, and I haven't seen any Jim Jones-types in our circles yet. It's a question that, admittedly, hadn't come to my mind before stumbling across (on Facebook no less) an article written by Outside's Marc Peruzzi titled ' Stop the Progression Already.' In it, Peruzzi opines that social media is at least partly responsible for an ever-increasing number of injuries and deaths in alternative sports. Is social media having a positive or negative impact on our sport? Sure, we know that it's probably not good for us in the grand scheme of things, but what about when it comes to our beloved two-wheeled hobby. Like many people, I have a love/loathe relationship with social media for the obvious, sometimes self-righteous reasons that we all can recite. ![]()
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