The good folks over at Wyoming Public Radio have recently written about fly fishing and social media – How Social Media Could Be Changing Fly Fishing – bringing up once again the brilliant Op-Ed written last April by Wyoming guide and outfitter Ryan Hudson, and throwing in some commentary on brand ambassadors from none other than Orvis fishing guy Steve Hemkens.
The Colorado-based guide at the heart of the controversy, Patrick Duke, back in April did indeed pen an apology that was eventually posted publicly on FB, though the bevy of industry folks in my circle found his explanation that he’d exercised an “uncharacteristic and singular case of poor judgment” to be quite likely a stretch. The most common sticking point among my guide friends boiled down to the simple fact that good guides with their heads in the game don’t make those mistakes; hopefully in particular the critical point about not fishing over spawning fish was driven home for everyone who read through the saga.
The article goes on to relate some practical commentary from Univ. of Wyoming marketing professor Elizabeth Minton regarding brand ambassadors (worth a quick read if you’re into that kind of thing).
Some have called my opinions jaded, but with three family members working “in the industry”, we have witnessed first hand some of the jaw-dropping chicanery that many, clearly by no means all, brand ambassadors undertake to represent their crafted-for-social media “extreme, adventurous lifestyles”. (A wise friend reminds that in the end, it’s still all marketing, and most if not all marketers are liars to some degree.)
Funny Thing, Social Media Ain’t All That It’s Cracked Up To Be
Somewhat ironically, I’ve been doing a fair amount of research for a project I’m working on (non-fly fishing) exploring the relationship of social media utilization and health disorders (largely behavioral, though some fascinating physical addiction data is out there as well).
For those looking for motivation to cut another time-waster out of your day to focus on more interesting, fun, and maybe even more productive things, here’s a tiny smattering of interesting reads about how social media ‘tools’ are making your life worse –
Digital Media and ADHD in Adolescents (hot off the press in fact)
Online Social Networking and Mental Health (overview from 2014)
A fairly well linked (research citations) article from the BBC (Jan 2018)
There’s volumes of data out there detailing the deleterious effects of social media; our main point is to encourage you to just put your damn phone down.
Instead, fish (not to spawners), talk to the folks in your truck / boat / camp / family, etc, and engage fully with life passing you by, right in front of your face, in real time. Reality is much, much more interesting, and somewhat ironically, makes you much, much more interesting as an individual. (If it’s not as interesting as what you find yourself chasing in the digital realm, perhaps it’s time to upgrade your real world.)
