“I think technology,
whether you’re
talking the internet
or mobile phones,
has given us the
best and worst
of everything,”
says Hoges.I
t’s the elephant in the room
that no one wants to talk
about. You know it. I know it.
We all know it. We are so
brainwashed that we can no
longer fight it. And while we
all wish it didn’t exist, we
can’t live without it. It’s called social
media, and it’s taken over the world.
Go into a café, or bar and look at
everyone with their heads buried in
their phones. What happened to,
face-to-face communication? Social
media happened.
Struggling for a conversation
starter? Check out this funny cat
video on Facebook. Like the look of
that girl? Don’t bother approaching
her. Just track her down on Tinder.
Your food isn’t quite up to scratch?
Don’t talk to the manager. Just write a
bad review online. Social media is it
these days. Businesses rely on social
media platforms. Friends, couples
and families use Facebook as their
primary means of communication.
Athletes, musicians, photographers
and even chefs use Instagram to
market themselves. And everyone
who thinks their opinion matters use
Twitter to rant and rave.
The dirtbike world hasn’t escaped.
The riders love it and the fans love it
even more. But just how much impact
is social media having on you come
race day? As ADB Columnist Ben
Grabham and our very own MX
Editor Lee Hogan explain, checking
social media in-between races can be
the difference between a good result
and a bad result.BEST AND WORST
Nowadays, Chad Reed has
three quarters of a million
followers on Instagram and
just has to post a picture of his
dog wearing a Fox jersey to
secure another three-year deal.
Hoges knows all about it and
has been involved with the
industry as a rider, coach and
manager of the BCP Pro Circuit
Honda Junior Development
team. “I think technology,
whether you’re talking the
internet or mobile phones, has
given us the best and worst of
everything,” says Hoges.
“It’s made a lot of things
easier but it’s also made a lot of
things harder.” According to
Hoges, Junior riders need to be
educated on how to use social media.
He gives the example of two of hisriders with very different approaches.
“I’ve had two superstar Juniors ride
for me over the last couple of years.
One of them, my current rider Rhys
Budd, uses social media exceptionally
well and he regularly posts things
that represent the sponsors well and
says all the right things.
“In contrast to that, I had Taj
Marshall, who it seems only did two
or three posts in the whole two-year
period. While we had success on the
track, we didn’t get much out of him
from a social media perspective.”
Grabbo is just glad social media
wasn’t around when he was racing,
“In a lot of ways, I’m glad it wasn’t
around when I was coming through,
because I would have been in a lot
more trouble” Grabbo laughed. “A lot
people behind the keyboard, will not
say anything to your face. I feel sorry
for some of the young guys today,
because they can be discriminated
against straight away for anything
they do wrong. It’s out there for the
world to see. It’s definitely a lot
tougher for them in this day and age”.
Social media has its benefits. It can
be used as a marketing tool both for
current and prospective sponsors and
also as a way to connect with the
fans. Effectively, social media is free
advertising. But how many of your