#VimRide: Journeying through this Hashtag

If life is a journey, then 1 of the ways I would tell it, is through cars. I have not really branded myself a storyteller, but I am a blogger and digital influencer (and social entrepreneur) who likes to tell stories, especially personal ones. #VimRide tells the story of my personal vehicles. Vim + Ride = VimRide.

Origins: The First Vim Ride

The earliest detailed public telling of the #VimRide comes from my own blog, The Vim Views & Versions (MightyAfrican). In February 2013, I blogged about #VimRide — the story of my first car so far. I recounted buying a 2006 Nissan Sentra in late 2012 and christening it the “VimRide.” This car is not just a vehicle, it is my companion on many journeys, fraught with repairs, police stops, spontaneous fun moments and intentionally crafted stories.

You see, the cars offer mobility, freedom, and control over transport costs, but in return, as the driver, I must care for it, maintain it, and accept the surprises that come with “the ride”. Using the #VimRide shows it has been a narrative device, a way to tell stories about travel, life, unfortunate occurrences, and everyday Ghanaian realities.

Early on, while driving through Koforidua (on a road trip from Accra) around Barcamp Koforidua, the #VimRide “hit a motorbike driver” (i.e. a minor collision) and had to go to a mechanic. A blog post was then born and blogged. 

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#VimRide in Social Media 

Though a structured, academic tracking of every instance of #VimRide is elusive, we can see several snapshots on social platforms:

• On X / Twitter, I have used “#VimRide” when referencing moments in his life and mobility. For example:
  X post (formerly Twitter tweet): “Past 2:33pm in #Accra, #Ghana. Trying to sell the #vimride ahead of getting the new vim ride. Almost through with it, getting there …”
  Even as I prepared to move from one vehicle to another, I kept the #VimRide identity alive”

•  Tweet: “Rolling down the #vimride window on my rides, stopping in #Accra traffic & shouting ‘Wear Ghana’ at random people wearing @WEARGHANA gigis.” I like spontaneous things and doing crazy things while driving. It’s the vim, no? My car is a small stage from which I interact with strangers who make me feel happy.

• On Facebook, I constantly share posts that reference the hashtag casually, e.g.:
  “Past 2:33pm in #Accra, #Ghana. Think Ghana, it’s Friday! #TGIF! Fuel for more things. #VimRide.”

• On Instagram, I use the #VimRide to volunteer to give free rides and go to places where I volunteer. For instance, a post about donating blood including “giving free rides with the #VimRide.” #IMadeGhanaBetterToday | #IMGBT 

Like many hashtags I use, #VimRide is present across social media platforms. Passengers in this social media include personal narrative, public brand, socializing.

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Themes & Patterns Behind #VimRide

I was used to public transport a lot in the US (from Boston to other places). The “VimRide” was - my first car and as such my first real opportunity at helping control the time and cost of commuting. Something about the phrase suggests: this is not just a car, but an instrument for living with energy and intention.

The #VimRide hashtag is the lens through which I recount life’s small dramas — mechanical breakdowns, police stops, picking up strangers, journeys across Ghana, etc.

The #vimride hashtag is about my car, but not just one car. #VimRide is transferable. We started with a Nissan Sentra in 2012, then a Toyota Matrix in 2016, and now a Kia Sorento since 2024. As you can see, the “ride” is not fixed to one model, we allow evolution with my life.

I have used #VimRide to serve and help a lot of people: giving free rides during a blood donation drive, etc. I leverage the vehicle in contributing to community and tying mobility to social capital.

You know I like talking about vim. My social presence is associated with “vim” (i.e. high energy, proactivity). This blog itself carries the.“Vim Views & Versions” tagline. The #VimRide is an extension of that brand. It signals that we are “in motion,” making things happen rather than being passive.

The Journey is the Destination

Time spent in the #VimRide is vibrant. I listen to a lot of #MusicWeDeyFeel, and lots of podcasts about things I love when riding alone. When I give the free rides as part of #IMGBT, you probably know I am not a fan of silence. I have networked with several people in the #VimRide. When we have our Barcamp related road trips, we jam a lot. We also play a lot of “2 Truths & A Lie” — our networking game during our road trips, as part of getting to know each other better.

In a cultural neighbourhood of ride-hailing apps, traffic, difficulty in getting trotros, the #VimRide helps people with — the free rides. Some people offer to give me money for the ride, but I do not see myself ever charging people to ride in the “vim ride”. Vim! I have lost count of how many people I give free rides each month. One good turn deserves another right? So aside all the “God Bless Yous” that I chop with the #vimride, I also pray that this current one — the Kia Sorento — would have good luck on our roads, with fewer visits to the mechanics. Through the #vimride, I continue to make Ghana better, one mile at a time. More vim to that!