When I first started using Untappd on 8/17/11, I thought it
was a great tool. I was able to keep track of the of beers I've had, find out
about new releases, earn cool badges, and socialize with a bunch of other beer
geeks as we explored the world of fermented malt beverages together. It was
even cooler that we could post our stuff to our social media pages. It allowed
others to live vicariously through each others pursuit of beer nirvana.
But that's not what it has turned out to be. I've seen it
change over the past few months into a tool of competition. Friends and
acquaintances are racing to see who can get the most uniques and who can find
the most obscure. Instead of actually enjoying the beer that we are trying,
many of us, myself included, have turned it into an opportunity to one-up
others.
I've seen rude commentary veiled as jokes, bragging,
oneupmanship, exclusion of others and outright banality. I've been guilty of
some of these, and others have been guilty as well.
It's doing the same thing that many other social media outlets
have done. It's dividing friendships. It's putting friends into direct
competition with each other for the sake of being "the first" or
"the best" or whatever other motivations people might have. It's
driving wedges between people who have more in common than not in common.
My first check in was at Stone Brewing in Escondido. My last check in was a Three
Floyds selection last night. I'm done with the competition. I'm done wondering
what other people have had, are having or will have. I'm done racing to try as
many unique beers as I can in the name of some ephemeral special
"badge." I don't need competition in my life when it comes to what I
drink, eat or just enjoy. I'll keep my own database of what I'm drinking, and
I'll try my damnedest to keep notes on what I think of each one, for my own
personal pleasure. No Beeradvocate. No Ratebeer. No Untappd. Just me, Excel and
a bottle opener.
It was a ton of fun in the beginning, but it ceased to be
fun over the last two or three months. Life is competitive enough with daily
living. I don't need to add another level of jousting and sparring to my life. I'm removing myself from the competition and going back to enjoying my brews.
So I'll see you at the local pub, and my phone will stay in
my pocket.