Lost in Space

Hello Friends – so sorry I missed you last week! My latest canine adventure took me to territories unknown and I am so happy to finally be back! My hooman-brother came home for a visit and that is where my adventure began…

He took me far far away to the land where I witnessed all kinds of crazy things. Animals were talking and singing – some were even attempting terrifying stunts! I was mesmerized by all the activity. One video after another showcased silly animals engaged in hillarious activities. My plans to explore the outdoors with my hooman-bro were replaced with videos of cats teasing dogs, dogs chasing cats, and one animal after another shaking their tail to “Lil Boo Thang”.

Before I knew it…the day was over and it was starting to get dark outside. My chance to go exploring vanished. My hopes to chase salmon in the creek – sunk. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. I had all kinds of energy, but was also oddly tired. Turns out, visiting the nation of TikTok is exhausting! In fact, I have a theory that every time I check my social media, I actually step through a secret portal that zaps my time away.

My bro took me on this adventure as a way to be helpful. I’ve been asking around – trying to learn how I can get more hoomans to read my Canine Adventures. All the advice I was given was “you have to get on social media” – specifically TikTok.

So I took the advice and made videos! There are TikToks of me doing my dog puzzle, making a pizza delivery, rooting on the Detroit lions, and even one that captured a very embarrassing moment when I was startled by a salmon. Once the posts were made – I waited. Hoping that I will be “liked” by all the other cyberspace martians.

How it works is – I post something and then wait to see if it was enjoyed enough for hoomans to make the effort to click “like” (or not). Then I needed to see how many likes I had – and then wondered if the number of likes I had was enough. I became obsessed!

All my thoughts were consumed with my social media content. All I could think about as I went about my day was – could this moment be a video? Would friends like to see my new toy, my tasty treats, my clever tricks? It wasn’t until we literally lost time with the end of Daylight Savings – that I began to realize how much time I was wasting.

I was not just wasting time while on social media – I was consumed. Wondering if my content was going to be “liked” enough. Or if it is not liked does that mean that it is REALLY not liked or perhaps it just was not watched. And if it was not watched does that mean I am not popular or could it mean my “friends” just had other things to do besides be on social media? This is all very complex and difficult for me to understand. I just wanted to share my adventures and it turns out I spent over a week lost in cyberspace trying to learn how I can get more hoomans to “like” me. Then it took me another week just to recover!

So friends, as we go into a new week – please be careful and try not to become lost in space. If you do decide to walk through that secret social media portal, know your time could be zapped away. Plan a way out. Stick to a set amount of time you will give up (set a timer if you have to) and know that regardless of what social media says – I “like” you!

Now go outside (without your device) and let the real adventures begin!

Bark at you next week – your friend,

P.S. If you plan on being lost in space for awhile – check me out on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram!

@hikingjack.com