What makes social media go?
Vines? GIFS? Jokes about Bernie Sanders’ hair? Crying Jordan faces?
No. It’s narcissism.
Ninety percent of the engine behind people wanting to put stuff up on Instagram/Facebook/and Twitter is to get retweets, likes, and favorites. Studies have been done showing how the reward center of the human brain is stimulated by social media approval in the same manner it is when you get sex, money, or good food.
Personally I’d take Emily Ratajkowski handing me steak in one hand and a stack of hundred dollar bills in the other over a retweet any day. But kudos to Pitt football fans for figuring this out as they have stepped on the Twitter-pander-pedal big time in recruiting.
Nightly, the hashtags have popped up of late:
#WadeToPitt
#JeterToPitt
#JudsonToPitt
Each of those trended in Pittsburgh, clearly with attempt to catch the eyes of the would be recruits and get them to realize how much Pitt fans want them to come to Oakland. Appeal to the ego, get results.
But let’s admit it. Part of the reason positive response on social media gets so much of a reaction is that THERE IS SO LITTLE OF IT! Tw-Insta-Face are usually cesspools of negativity, dehumanization, and snark. So if Pitt fans want to use these platforms to their advantage properly, perhaps they are best served skewing negative.
Because as we have all seen the only arena that usually out performs negative recruiting, is negative politics.
So if Pitt fans want to do this retweet-recruiting method, go for the jugular. Don’t stroke the ego. Cut legs out from the competition.
For instance when a recruit is considering Syracuse too, also include the hashtag #ItSnowsThereOnMothersDay
-When a player is considering Clemson, include the hashtag #DerrickHenryJustScoredAgain
-When a player is considering Duke, include the hashtag #YouKnowCoachKOnlyDoesBasketballRight?
-When a player is considering UNC, include the hashtag #InvestigationsTil2027
-When a player is considering West Virginia, include the hashtag #CheckTheCasinoToReachTheCoach
-When a player is considering Virginia, include the hashtag #NoBowlWinsDuringObamaAdministration
-When a player is considering Penn State, include the hashtag #TempleBy17
This is a nice thing Pitt fans are doing. But nice guys finish last. Just ask Steve Addazio at Boston College.
Hey! Hashtag that one too!
