I'm not one to tell people what to do, I mean except for my students and kids. I tell them what to do all the time. When it comes to peers, friends, and family though, I'm more a person that gives some ideas and lets others figure out a path to take. Today's post follows that theme. I'm just going to throw out some information for you to mull over.
I joined the TikTok community last January. At the time, there wasn't a lot of fly fishing content and there were only a few folks like Svend Diesel and Fly Lords that had accounts that included good content. Holy cow has that changed in the last few months. TikTok has become a source of outstanding fly fishing content which includes a variety of locations, people, and fishing opportunities. Many videos are of high quality and are short, as in a minute-long kind of short. There are fly tying videos that are fast-paced but extremely well done at the same time. Some videos are serious, some are exciting, and some hilarious.
While I am a fan of the app, I also realize that social media is not for everyone. Some people see it as a time-consuming object that does not improve their lives one iota. Some people don't feel the need to see what other people are doing with their lives. Some people would just rather pick up a phone to call those they are close to or email someone when they have a question. I cannot argue with any of those statements and I see value in those beliefs.
On the other hand, I see social media as a source of both entertainment and education. Wendy has gotten MANY recipe ideas from TikTok. I have laughed uncontrollably at videos that feature dudes falling out of boats or casting a rod so hard they fall off a pier. Some videos have made me almost cry and some videos make me want to jump in the truck and head to my closest fishing spot. There's even a little movement on TikTok call FishTok. It's a hashtag that fishers use to help guide users towards fishing videos.
At the end of the day, I get a lot of enjoyment out of TikTok and that should be it's purpose. If you get offended easily, it's probably not the place for you because people are going to speak their minds. If you're looking for something to do when there's nothing on TV and you can't find anything on Netflix, then maybe you download the app as another entertainment option. Aside from consuming content, I also create content as well. It has been a lot of fun to read comments on the videos that I have made and all of my feedback has been positive. Well, almost. One guy commented that Branson, Missouri, "sucks". That one hurt but I got over it pretty quick. So if you decide to pull the trigger and download the app or take the next step and actually become a TikToker, look me up! My username is...you guessed it...ShowMeFlyGuy. If you decide this is not something for you, then hopefully our paths cross on the water someday and we can enjoy one another's company that way!
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