Revhead Ramblings: Car culture is Being Ruined by Social Media

I’m all for people enjoying their cars, from photographers to YouTube channels, there’s nothing better than people loving their cars like they should.

The issues come however, when people take it too far for a piece of content. Driving vlogs and stupid stunts on public roads mean all car enthusiasts are tarred with the same brush.

The Good Ol’ Days

How could you show off your gleaming new ride before the invention of social media? Car shows, and car clubs enabled likeminded individuals to come together to share admiration and knowledge on all things relating to cars, parts could be bought, and photos could be taken. This not only enhanced the owner’s feeling of pride for their car, it could also kickstart an obsession for a newbie!

Off-roading clubs helped people to share new skills and methods with the wider world, track days allowed people to expose their true speed demon. While all of these pursuits are vastly different, they’re all interconnected.

These do not however, have anything to do with Instagram stars posting their cars.

Instagram

A quick scroll through the discover page on Instagram and you’ll be met with a range of cars, from meticulously restored classics to widebody mustangs, there’s a great collection of cars.

However, you also can’t help but notice the videos of idiots racing on open streets, doing burnouts on bridges and crashing outside of car meets. These people represent a small minority of car enthusiasts, yet we’re all deemed responsible for their behaviour!

When Did it Start?

Have these people always been around? Or are the monetary benefits of these kinds of videos and actions turning people to this life? 2018 seems to have brought out a special breed of people who’ll do anything to become internet famous.

Burnouts and drifts are fun yes and people enjoy seeing them, however doing them on an open road surrounded by the general public is just selfish and pointless. Don’t ask why, just double tap to like seems to be the motto they live by.

My View

Ultimately, if it’s your car, you can do what you want with it. Individuality is a good thing and it breeds some incredible cars.

However, it’s always important to remember that you’re not just showing off your own car, you’re showing off our entire culture and if one person acts like an idiot, we’re all deemed to be the same. It only takes one unnecessary death, one bad decision, to change our cars forever…

To ensure you don’t miss out on any of Alex’s ‘Revhead Ramblings‘ be sure to follow him on Twitter at @AlexClickDealer!

For more information about ClickEngage™, or to learn about Click Dealer’s brand new automotive blogging service and content from our specialist automotive industry writers, get in touch today on marketing@clickdealer.co.uk, 01782 478 220 or through our contact page!