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What’s not to like?
Like many of you, I enjoy an occasional jaunt through social media where I can see what my friends are up to while also sharing some of my own fun.
Every Saturday morning, for instance, I post this column on Facebook along with a photo that helps illustrate the point that particular piece intends to make. I get a kick out of posting it – and it would seem that a few of my friends do, too, based on the “likes” and comments each post receives.
Because fish and fishing are at the core of each and every one of my Vindy columns, my Facebook posts feature photos of fish, fishers, lures, boats and lake scenes. Strangers scanning my social media history might conclude I’m a one-trick pony.
But you can’t judge a book by its cover. One’s social media persona is just a glimpse at the pages inside. My own “book” has a hundred chapters, only a fraction of which have much to do with fishing.
Nevertheless, social media say a lot. When we tap the “post” button, we all like to think the world is a little happier, a bit more informed and a smidgeon inspired.
All of the manifestations of the new reality propelled by digital communications are shaping our world. That is without question. Social media, text messaging and email have changed us all – anglers included.
One of the biggest impacts, of course, is the immediacy with which we can share an experience.
With a tap on the screen or a click of the mouse, the whole world gains access to whatever our hearts wish others to know.
If that isn’t dizzying, then you’ve already forgotten what it meant to thread film in your camera, snap the shutter, rewind the film back into its can, drive to the developer, fill out the form and return days later to get your photos. At home with your fresh prints, you jot a note, address the envelope, lick and stick a postage stamp, and drive to the mailbox.
If all went well, two weeks after your amazing experience, your grandmother across town or your friend in Columbus would get to view the awesome walleye you caught on your Lake Erie charter fishing trip.
Today your granny and your buddy can see your magnificent fish and your beaming smile before the slime on your hands has dried. Thank you, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
So our lives – and our fishing trips – have become open books. We are able to post, text and email whatever our hearts desire.
Most of us use social media to share something that makes us smile. For you it may be a sporty car, a beautiful flower or an impish grandchild. Whatever the post, it’s rarely a brag, but often a proud moment.
Some will judge, but I post anyway. A big bass, a favorite lure or my gleaming BassCat – all favorite subjects on my Facebook page.
Like them if you like, but know for sure they are there to stir you to smile, teach you a tip or tempt you to try something new.
I can do all that with the immediacy of the moment – even out on the lake when my hands are still slick with the slime of the big fish that obliged to pose for that Facebook photo.
And when it’s all said and done, it is possible a post or two has helped a friend write a page or two in their own book of life.