Oddly, though, this is a generational desire more so than a commitment to our fans. The majority of young men starting their AFL career have grown up within their own virtual world. The savvy have the commercial nous to capitalise, the immature the daftness to believe all that is written, for better or worse. I know of footballers who have opened accounts under a false identity in order to stitch up a teammate. Nothing lightens the mood of a team meeting more than highlighting a ridiculous ''selfie'' of a teammate.

We are seeing more interaction among players from different teams. Often these players have played junior football together. Opinions or photos are being shared and ''liked'' in this virtual world. Only a decade ago, this sort of communication between rival players would rarely have taken place.

I had a player I respect from another team make a comment on a post I made some time ago. I had not met this player before, besides shaking his hand post-match, and I would not cross the street to strike up a conversation with him, yet I felt strangely upbeat when he left a comical remark on my Twitter feed. Oddly enough, I felt as though that comment gave me a small insight into what this bloke was about. This is in essence why fans are drawn to players who are prepared to give an insight into their lives and share themselves via social media. And I guess that is why players feel good about themselves when they check that their number of followers keeps increasing the more they post and engage. Given the nature and dynamic of a football club, the egos and banter, Instagram is often the preferred vehicle in social media when attempting to stitch a teammate up.

Uploading an unflattering photo of a teammate to the masses has the ability to inflict terror if the target is chosen wisely. But at the end of the day, nothing beats the real practical jokers. James Kelly, for example, has endeared himself to all at Geelong with his humour and ability to pull off great practical jokes. Again you get a sense of the man when following him via social media, his wit and humour engaging all. Often at the expense of a teammate.

Social media keeps evolving. From all accounts, Tinder - a match-making app - is the new craze among the young single lads. They seem to find it easier to meet girls by swiping left or right than conversing with a stranger in a social setting - you know, the traditional form of communicating, flirting and dating where you actually have to conduct a conversation and put yourself out there.