2.9 Reading response No. 1

Is social media having a positive or negative impact on the sport of mountain biking? Mike Levy, a Pink bike editor posed this question to numerous big names in the sport to gauge the reaction from people heavily involved the industry. What makes this article interesting is the differing opinions of everyone interviewed. The stereotype that older people hate social media is broken in this article, with Wade Simmons, a pioneer of the sport, stating that he believes social media is a useful tool and actually benefits the sport. This goes against what most older people are portrayed to believe which makes the article an interesting read.

Social media has a huge impact on everyone’s lives, with over 3 billion social media users’ worldwide.  I have seen the impact of social media on mountain biking, with people travelling to places just to get a photo and claim on their Instagram account that they have ridden in a famous place.  This is the same with all aspects of life; People are spending more time focusing on social media rather than enjoying what they are experiencing.  “If you’re thinking of how many likes your selfie at the top is going to get, you’re not in the moment.” I feel that people are oblivious to the fact that their life is often controlled by social media and that articles like this one need to be shared to make people aware. Without awareness people will continue to be live their live around social media. Going places just for the photo they can post, spending ages making the perfect post to gain more followers.

“Go ride” is Matt hunter’s response to everyone who claims that social media helps them with mountain biking.  “You can find a riding partner from your couch, just by swiping and typing. Social media also provides inspiration to ride.  Seriously, though, that’s all bullshit.” Matt Hunter is trying to show people that they are relying too much on social media to solve problems when they should be looking to the real world for the solution.

Reading this has taught me to appreciate what I’m doing, and to stop worrying about my social media image. It has also taught me to stop relying on social media to fix problems and to just “go ride” as Matt Hunter believes. I need to rely more on my actual friends and real-life relationships to help me, instead of my “friends” on social media. Mike Levy hasn’t just written an article for mountain bikers, but for any person who uses social media. I can highly recommend this article to anyone, any age, who uses social media, whether they ride mountain bikes or not. The ideas and topics discussed in the article will make everyone who reads it, completely reconsider the way they view social media.

One Reply to “2.9 Reading response No. 1”

  1. Tom, so far this is a very well-structured response: you have used key aspects of the text (which have stirred/challenged you in some way) to direct the points being discussed.

    The only comment I can make currently is that you could include supportive evidence to strengthen your points. Are there quotations that would be relevant and beneficial for your discussion at present? 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *