If I haven't yet realized how programmed I have become to my phone and computer then my head has been in the sand. At 56 I'm older then most of the people out there on social media as the Millennials and Gen Z kids are the ones feeding and making money off of platforms like X (formally Twitter) , Tok Tok, Facebook, and You Tube. It's big money and for those that have the wherewithal they are cashing in. Who's paying them? Advertisers are. Who's feeding the clicks on the content? Big goofs like me.
I'm only on Facebook, ever was. Didn't do Myspace back in the day and don't have a IG, Tik Tok, or an X account. So my daily routine starts with rolling over, checking my phone, and then usually clicking on Facebook. Why? I have no idea. Am I checking to be brought up to date on my family and friends lives or am I checking to see what people who have no bearing in my life are doing. Now I will say I have enjoyed being privy to things that old school friends and family have done or are doing. It's the way I learn if someone passed away, needs a hand, or needs some advice. Example, we're planning a
trip to Ireland next year and I joined the Ireland Travel Advice and Information group. It has been, not only fun, but very helpful in our planning. So much so that I've changed our itinerary, on paper, about a dozen times.
Last fall I discovered "Reels" on Facebook. They're short videos that people post. Most are hilarious. Usually people doing stupid things or some kind of meme or mockery of someone else. And like many others I just click and watch, and every time we click someone gets paid. In the below screenshot there
is a short put out by a dancer named Amanda Derrick. She's a very talented dancer that is usually showcased performing with someone else. I can't tell you, without consciously doing so, how many of those videos I have watched. Why? I have no idea. This past spring Netflix put out a documentary titled,
"Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult", which of course I watched. Why? Because I am some kind of loser. Somehow she and her dancing buds are under some cult-like guy out in Cali.
And then there is "Jenny Jumps". A young lady from the U.K. who jumps rope. Do I look like someone who jumps rope? Do I really care about someone jumping rope? I must because I must have watched a hundred of her routines. And every time I click she, or someone who posts her highjacked post, gets paid. She started jumping during the Covid lockdown and is now a millionaire.
The latest Internet sensation is none other than Daily Welch, I even know her name. Better known as the "Hawk Tua" girl, I've seen her video an unknown amount of times. It's not like I searched for it, it
just shows up just about everywhere I turn on the Internet. While she is capturing her 15 minutes of fame, and getting paid, we, the audience, follow her every move, like it or not. Who knows who will be the next instant star of the electronic world and they'll have to do to get theirs.
For me I think it goes like this. You log in and you see what pops up in front of you. Sometimes it something new or something new from someone you have seen before. Recently I've been inundated with shorts from Corey Feldman, the once child actor, who is performing on The Loserville Tour with
Limp Biskit. He's been mocked all around the internet as a fraud guitar player. It's like watching a train wreck in front of your eyes. You don't want to click on it but you just have to. And once you click, the algorithm kicks in and you get it over, and over, and over again. Now I'm getting a new short of Limp Biscuit frontman Fred Durst coming out onstage to prove that Feldman is actually playing. I'm 56, a husband, a father, trying to figure out my life, trying to figure out things before the start of school and my future, and I'm watching this on a Sunday morning? Talk about Loserville.
And yet again I found myself losered out yet again. It was a few days ago and I came inside to escape the heat after another session of yard work. I got into my old-man recliner, put on Beat Bobby Flay, something I've binge-watched recently, and clicked on Facebook. And there he was in "Reels". He
The Jewelry Exchange in Edison, and specifically from a family who runs a booth called "Romancing the Stones". I'm not a jewelry guy, but if I had to buy something today I would go back to them.
The last time I was there was back in 2015 purchasing my last engagement ring. Even though I trust these guys I still always have in the back of my mind that I'm getting swindled when it comes to buying jewelry and cars. But back to Moses.
So Omri Moses is a kid from Queens who grew up in the jewelry business. He states he has worked hard, like 24/7, to learn and hone his trade. If you watch him, no pun intended, you can see he's a player in a business of players. And to play, you need players, or customers, and there is a steady stream of
them. But what got me interested, and I don't know why, is his dealing with Rolex watches. You know you don't know something until you do. I always knew Rolex's were expensive, but there is a whole more to it, and if you watch one of these videos you'll see what I mean.
Moses has not only cashed in on a successful business but a huge internet following that generates tons of money on it's own. I have to say I am kind of addicted to "the game" as he calls it. Buying low and selling high. Flipping quick to make a profit. And not only does he flip, but he flips for goods as well. If he and a customer can't negotiate a price, like say on a $40,000 watch, he'll say, "Alright flip, $35,000 or $45,000". That's a player.
At times I don't know if I want to punch him or go up to 47th Street to meet him. Money isn't real to him, or so it seems. Wearing $1 million dollars worth of jewelry, or $350,000 outfits, mostly LV- that's Louie Vitton, or dropping $400 on a pair of Nike's, he just throws money around like it's nothing. And then there's the dinners and the trips and the whole thing. Maybe I'm just jealous.
And just when you think he's just a douche he does things like go outside into traffic and hands someone a Rolex, or $1,000, for no reason. I've seen him do Rolex drops where he picks someone
from the big social media platforms and gives them a Rolex. One day he dropped five, totaling $100,000. That's BMG, or Big Money Grip.
I think what get me, besides what appears to be a happy go lucky successful young businessman, is how easily big cash gets moved around so quickly and easily. It's almost not fair when you think you go to work on a Monday and have to wait two weeks to get paid. I can't imagine living in a cash world. If he doesn't have five large on him at any moment it's there, plus a lot more, in the safe behind him. Cash is king. I've seen him buy a watch and go and flip it and just make thousands on the flip. Something is wrong with the rest of us. Like with social media we are programmed how to work and live.
Over the years I've been there when someone sells some gold. They put it on a scale and weigh it and then test it make sure it's legit. If it's not something ornate then it gets bought for the value in weight.
And for ever I've heard that people should invest in metals like, gold, silver and platinum. You can buy shares, or coins, or gold bars. No matter which way you go it's the most safe investment. Below is a
chart showing how the price of gold has fared over the last 10 years. From the 1050 low in 2016 to the 2468 high as of late, it seems like a solid investment. When I go through towns or to a flea market and see signs like "We Buy Gold" I always wondered how many people are really selling and buying to keep a business running? And then I look at Moses and that whole Diamond District goings on. When I do it makes me realize how much I don't know about things going on everyday outside of my life.
But I do realize I won't dance like Amanda Derrick, jump rope like Jenny, definitely not Hawk Tua like Hailey, or wheel and deal and wear $2,000 jeans like Moses. When I think about taking the family out for dinner for $400, buying a new truck for $60,000, or thinking of dropping $500,000 for a house in Hilton Head, it becomes overwhelming. Maybe I should go look on Facebook Marketplace and find
a Rolex, with the papers and the box of course, and head up to 47th Street and see if Moses and I can do some business. I'll put on my best Costco clothes, Crocs on my feet, and an The Average Angler hat and fit right in.