YouTube Drama VS Knowledge, The Circus "CLICK BAIT WANKERS"

In this age of social media actions and opinions can spread like a wild fire, it's given everyone a platform and a voice, despite their I.Q. Before the social media age, opinions and propaganda didn't spread like a virus because there wasn't the means to allow it to happen. Yes ..  you had the press and the media but this was the voice of large institutions, not millions of individuals. Oh .. how things have changed since the somewhat, simpler days before technology hijacked our lives. Cancel culture is a product of social media and the more that people transplant their existences online, the worse the whole situation is going to get. 

The reason why most things are in a sorry state is because of social media, music is flooded with thousands of utterly shit bands trying to square themselves up as the next big thing. Painfully ordinary individuals frame themselves as artists, songwriters and creatives. Hobbies are overrun with glory seeking twats, "clickbait wankers" that are trying so desperately to make a name for themselves, instant experts are sharing their valuable advice on something they've been doing for about a week. Running within all this is vendettas, trolling and singling out, social media is a weapon depending on how it is being used. Because the human condition is inherently ill, it's used for the lowest common denominators - hate and stupidity.

I use to have long discussions with my dad about the confusion I felt looking at the world around me, especially here in the UK. I wish he was still alive to talk to, I still feel a mass of confusion, I came to understand pretty early on that many out there love creating failure or watching the failure of others. I can only assume that these kind of entities are so deeply unhappy with their lives that they feel the need to bring others down to their unbelievably sad and pathetic level. I've seen this occur in so many things but it's totally exploded through the roof since the rise of social media. Luckily I haven't personally had to deal with too much of it, there's been the odd cock hanging around my YouTube comments section but they've been blocked, I just don't have the time to entertain the simpletons. 

Since starting a YouTube channel I've come to understand a few things, firstly my YouTube isn't a platform for my ego, I'd like to think it's semi-educational because I'm using what I would call niche detectors. It's more about trying to open peoples minds and demonstrate that there's more options out there in the world of metal detectors other than the mainstream brands. This is the interesting thing though, people are more interested in drama and bullshit than they are in videos that are potentially teaching them something. Both my videos where I used the word "RANT" in the descriptions have gotten far more views quicker than my videos where I'm demonstrating something from the idea of learning. 

When did you last hear of a viral video that was educational? you haven't because it doesn't exist, all viral videos are hitting at the bottom of the intelligence scale. People would rather see others falling over, fighting each other, failing or actually dying by falling from a tall building, it appears this type of "entertainment" takes priority over something that they might actually benefit and learn from. Fail army is one of the most popular channels out there, the clue is in the name .. right? What does this lead to, simple, it leads to people doing increasingly more stupid shit to get their videos watched and it's this mindset that has people filming major accidents or acts of violence to upload onto their social media solely for the views, likes and subscribers. There's types of incidents are not healthy for our psychology, it's actually really damaging.

In regards to metal detecting there's a lot of people that claim they love the hobby and their social media isn't a priority. I think many of these people are talking shit, if they're not bothered about views then why does every single video they post have a dumb click-bait title usually with them looking really surprised in the thumbnail, many use buzz lines like, "AMAZING SILVER FIND" & "UNREAL GOLD FOUND". To me they're clearly obsessed with views, likes and subscribers, if their social media isn't important then why do they all have sponsorships,

AMAZING SILVER FOUND WOOO HOOO !!!!!!!!!!!

Did these sponsors come about by chance? of course they didn't, they were actively worked towards, serious question - why do you need to have sponsorship to go metal detecting?. Also if their profile isn't important why are they all wearing their sponsors clothes or clothes advertising their channels? are they all that fucking amazing that I need to be following their unbelievable adventures?  I find the whole thing so sad and desperate, unfortunately it's really hard to avoid, it's everywhere you look. These people might think they're helping the hobby but they're part of the problem, people watch their bullshit and then think it's a good idea to do the same thing. I just get the idea many start the hobby and a channel to see how much free stuff they can get out of it. The exact same thing happened with carp fishing here in the UK, people had to get sponsored for the sole purpose they could tell everyone they're sponsored. 

Am I Trying To Create Failure With The Points I'm Making In This Blog? 

No I'm not I'm simply calling it the way I see it, add everything I've mentioned above into the mix and then it starts to become clear why metal detecting is in the state it's in. Here in the UK it's a complete fucking circus, if it continues the way it is they'll be nothing left to find. Call me negative if you want, I personally couldn't give a toss - 35 years ago the hobby was magic, almost a secret. Despite how the leading brands try to market it, metal detecting will never be "cool" or "trendy", it's just a bunch of people digging rubbish out the ground, nothing more, nothing less.

Do Group Digs & Rallies Really Help The Hobby?

This is quite an interesting debate, I understand many can't get their own permissions so group digs and rallies are the only way they can actually get out in the fields, putting that point aside. I just can't help thinking, that, not all, but a percentage of the organisations putting on both groups digs and rallies really couldn't give a toss about the hobby or the history, they're just money making rackets. I'll explain to you how I see it, they basically get any land they can, it doesn't matter if there's history there or not. Then a bunch of mugs turn up after paying to dig for a "weekend full of banter", where they feel it's their birth right to dig great finds on every hole. When, in reality it's a load of pissed up twats acting like buffoons, on top of that, they're film their behaviour for all the world to see. Is it really any surprise that archeologists think the metal detecting community is a bunch of idiots? it really doesn't surprise me at all. 

What else comes out of all of this, you get your "cliques", the chosen few with a huge subscriber base who are part of the 'old guard' because they've been doing it for "so long", these people are promoting and saving the hobby just with their superior presence. These are the people that are looked upon as saviours and experts, "good old geezers" with their no nonsense opinions and teachings. It's these people that have the power to give their official opinions about machines and their operation because their knowledge is just that cut above the rest. It's these types of covert narcissists that give their special magical settings, usually with a catchy name like "The Hoover Program". No subject within metal detecting can truly find closure until these gods of the hobby have had the final say on the subject. 

"That Paul Warren Guy Is A Negative Hater DUDE"

Yup call me what you want, I just happen to think the vast majority out there are full of shit and we're basically living in the equivalent of open asylum. Before anyone calls me a hypocrite, I've explained before that I couldn't care less who watches my videos or reads my blogs. I do all this for myself, it's a process, it's "The Art Of Doing" that's important to me, nothing more.

So to sum, I genuinely think there's a demographic of detectorists out there that believe the metal detecting community is this all excepting, all loving, skipping around with daisies in their hands kind of club, but in reality it isn't that at all, just like everything else in life. Unless you're in the "cliques" or the cool club, I think you'll find that metal detecting has the same name calling, back biting, back stabbing bullshit as every other pastime, occupation and hobby - it's human nature that wrecks pretty much everything.