I was born at the perfect time to watch social media evolve into what it is today. I am part of Gen Y, more commonly known as a Millennial. It’s known that Millennials are the first generation to have grown up during the internet age. While this does not make me an expert in the field, it does allow me to give an interesting perspective into what it social media was then compared to what it is now.
I remember AOL Instant Messenger as being one of the first platforms I was able to communicate with friends, on a computer. We didn’t email “back then”. I grew up using a rotary phone and there was this thing called a busy signal. It’s when someone was already on the phone you were trying to call. When call waiting and caller ID came out my mind was blown….I guess that is a different blog post though.
In the late 90’s AOL Instant Messenger was a platform you could chat online with friends. The feeling of getting off the bus, running to my computer and signing in to see who was already online was sometimes unbearable. Oh and when you were signed on…that door opening to let you know one of your friends signed on was exhilarating. A lot of the time quickly followed by the door closing because they didn’t see anyone online they wanted to talk to…….fine then. Oh and you’d put up away message to go get a snack out of the kitchen or go to the bathroom…”brb”. Hustle back to check on all of the messages you had because people missed you for that 48 seconds you were gone. Tell me I’m wrong. I won’t even get into Myspace right now.
Alright, my trip down memory lane is over. My freshmen year of college (2004) is when Facebook was released. Originally it was for college students only, as a way to connect to other college students. I remember when it was released to the public. It was a big deal. It kept people connected constantly who couldn’t otherwise do so. It allowed us to be able to check up on friends or family we have not seen in a while. I think staying connected is a great thing but social media has changed A LOT since that time.
Now, social media is full of know it all keyboard warriors who have nothing better to do than sit on their phones and comment negative things on posts to try to get likes. It’s a popularity contest now. Someone can always do it better than you, someone always knows more than you and someone’s opinion is always better than yours. To that I say…good for you. Here is what is hard to do in this new world of social media. Block out all of the negativity and keeping doing you. There are always going to be haters. There are always going to be people trying to tear you down. You can’t allow people who have no impact on your life what-so-ever to dictate how you feel about yourself or what you are trying to accomplish. Some people love being miserable, sorry, those are facts. They love commenting negative things, hate and tearing others down. I feel bad for them…I really do. Someone else is going on in their lives that make them like that. Try being compassionate instead of letting their hate get you down.
I see it all the time. I have had or still have the platforms: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, SnapChat, YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest, etc. Someone posts a video or picture of their hard work and dedication and there are 3-4 (or more) comments of “your form is wrong”, “you’re doing it wrong”, “oh you throw 70 MPH at 14…I throw 85 so you suck”, “why are you doing that'“…on and on and on. It’s hard, but you have to block that out. You have to continuing doing what makes you happy and trust your process. Why should you care what Username749502837 has to say about you and what you’re doing? They mean nothing to you. You do you.
Social media is not all bad, believe me. It is a way to stay instantly connected to the world. It’s a way to reach people you would normally never be able to reach. It’s a way to get yourself out there as well. As far as baseball is concerned, there are many coaches, recruiters and people watching your progress in a positive way. If you post, post about your work ethic, the grind and what you are doing to better yourself. Show the real you. Tag coaches for the colleges you are interested in going to, get on their radar. Use relevant hashtags like #baseball #baseballdrills #baseballtraining #collegebaseball and so on to get your stuff in front of other people who are interested in the same things you are. Social media should be about networking. I’ve used it to connect with hundreds of coaches to improve my knowledge of the game, college coaches to show videos of our players and ways to show off our program and our players in any way that I can. The balance is…ignore the hate and focus on your goals.
Be careful! Please be careful about what you post, comment or interact with. You have to be smart. I’ve seen social media ruin careers. Post the wrong video of you doing something inappropriate and someone will see it…you’re done. I saw it when I was in college and I saw it when I was coaching at the high school level. Know that you are not invisible on social media. Anything you say, post or comment on will be used against you when possible. Please do not give them any fuel to use. We have seen on the news where 1 person said something dumb 15 years ago and it resurfaced because they are famous now. Please don’t be that person. Be smart.
If you are smart enough to use social media to build your brand, it can definitely help you in this sport. Your brand is you. The real you. The person you’re selling to colleges, scouts and recruiters. Try to be positive no matter what. Let your personality shine through.
Swing hard,
Coach LeClair