I know we are the minority. The few who are still building, fixing, restoring and riding those "death machines" that the US of A government banned back in 1987. Social media (I found) has brought the minority together and I think that is awesome. The number of people posting on instagram and the facebook pages dedicated to three wheelers is great. It gives me inspiration when I see all those awesome builds and other mods people are doing all over the world. I get many future projects in my mind based on some things I have seen on social media. I am old enough that I did not grow up with the internet - I was first exposed to it when I was in college. Anyways back then you tended to just know what was going on in your neighborhood unless you traveled to a racetrack, show, dealership, or another riding area. Now I can get a ton of info right in the palm of my hand. Three wheelers in the snow three wheelers in the sand dunes. The social media can be good for finding new products, tools, and repair techniques. Most people are more than willing to answer questions - to a point. I really enjoy seeing the progress of a build or restoration that some people take the time and effort to post. Finished pictures are great but I appreciate the work and effort it takes to get it to that point.
With the good comes with the bad. As far as social media goes it can be a time suck. I typically scroll through for 5 minutes a day on instagram to see what is going on and then leave it alone till the next day. For me doing the actually work is more fun than watching it. The other thing I see on social media is the same questions being asked over and over again. Also questions that are way too vague and the sender expecting someone to pinpoint the problem and provide a solution quickly. Having quick answers and guides are good but it may not build good troubleshooting skills. I remember having mentors throughout my life helping me along. The best ones made me think and struggle. If I had a question they would say "what do you think?" . After I provided an answer they would ask me why I provided that answer and what was the logic behind it. For me this helped tremendously and continues to this day. Building a basic mechanical and electrical knowledge can help especially if you are broke down and have no one else to depend on.
In closing I am really enjoying what social media has done for this small group. I can see it evolving through the years and helping to keep the BIG REDS alive!