Social Fibre
My job means I’m exposed to a lot of social media on a day-to-day basis, and with that comes some pretty weird (I won’t mention details here) kind of stuff. But lately I have seen an increasing number of articles on social media commenting on how social media is ruining the way we as humans interact (yes, this is very ironic), and also saying it’s the reason the younger generation are only developing rudimentary social skills. Basically the articles say that people would rather hide behind their smart device and show the world only small, carefully selected parts of how wonderful their life is (think Dan Bilzerian) than form meaningful relationships with fellow humans face to face.
Well folks, I would tend to agree, but I do think there is a glimmer of hope for those reading this, one that suggests we won’t all become hermit crabs living life behind the screen, and here’s why. We are car people! I mean, how many times have you been at the fuel station chucking in $20 only to still be there 20 minutes later, as some guy has come over and quizzed you about what carb or turbo you’re running, as he is still deciding on one for his project. Or how often have you struck up a random conversation with a car owner at an event as you simply like the style of their ride. Car people are naturally an inquisitive bunch, and it’s this common love of car culture that will always have us dropping our phones to extend an arm for a handshake and a spur-of-the-moment conversation with someone we have never met. Then some time in the future finding ourselves at that person’s house forgoing the nightly fix of brain rot (TV) to help them pull apart or piece together their project.
Even if you can’t speak the same language, the love of cars has always brought people together to socialize without the need for a screen and an app to facilitate the transaction. It’s this part of the culture that I love the most — meeting new people face to face. I have made many lifetime mates through cars, and in fact it was one of those random handshake/convos with past editor Peter Kelly about his old Impala that put me in the editor’s chair today. So while social media is great and all, don’t forget to put down the phone once in a while and keep this great culture we all know and love alive and kicking, you never know where it may lead.
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