WhatShouldWeCallMe? Self-Branding, Individuality and Belonging in Youthful Femininities on Tumblr | M/C Journal

https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/936

the way the "whatshouldwecallme" tumblr was so funny that it informed the web we know now because everyone wanted to be them and steal their humor style, but absolutely nobody is as funny as them so now the entire web 2.0 is just a cringe mess. I wonder how those law student girls are doing, and if they regret anything.

Meghan to the court:

My dad admitted that the church is toxic for girls

طريقة عمل فتة الشاورما اللحم بـ 3 وصفات - وصفات طبخ

Pensando sin saber

Me after work on a Friday

Let the world know what your business is bout..... We can help you do that... Link in my bio....

3 Step Plan to help you promote diversity.

It seems like my schedule for the semester is getting lighter. ^_^. What one class can do

Haydi bir akım başlat

Hadi o zaman herkes sevdiği bir müzikten bir cümlesini yazsın rb yaparak.

Seni tekrаr yаzаbilecek kаdаr gücüm yok, vedаmа hoşgeldin.

@ruyadaki-kiz @yuruyenyanak @izmirdenege@tamameliff @kardelenemeftunkiz@haklisinelif @ibrahimsxsblog@papatyaniinahi @canimbenpelogm@duygusalbiri0 @walpaper @wallpaperr@geceleriyi @itswhatsupdude@brownilikekim @birasosyalingozyaslari@geceninzifirisatirlari@asosyalbirininkaleminden @belkibirgunokursunsblog @edabeniste @ares-01 @whatshouldwecallme@iampsikopat @sunflowertrickster @kayaasblog @yakamozyagmurum @besinci-element @arzudiyebiri @saturndengelen@alisvolatpropriis-x @falling-the-darkness @vioriss @kendiniavlayanejderya @unefilleamoureuseduciel

hate tiktoks that are like "when someone says..." and there is no actual other person there or evidence that anyone has ever said that. They are making up an imaginary friend to roast and on top of that the roast is weak and unfunny and smug. Terrible form. 1/10.

Me, jumping back into the royal fandom just in time to catch the Sussex' media narrative self-destruct in real time:

Ray Ban glasses 90%off will only need $24.99 and will donate $2.40 to COVID-19

@whatshouldwecallme @motomania @andreakalfas @motoriginal @derrickdent @chuckgroenink @klappersacks @affluence-de-la-vie @kookychow @staff

How does Tumblr function as a Digital Community?

In 2014 Tumblr was the fastest growing social platform (Lunden, 2014), since then numbers may have declined yet it is still a place that houses an important digital community. Like most social platforms users can follow, reblog (share) images and like eachothers posts although, Tumblr is unique in the way that it’s a blogging site yet users communicate primarily through images. It’s currency, ‘reposts’ are another form of ‘likes’ which displays the popularity of the image but direct comments on posts are not an available feature. In order for users to comment, they must repost the image which ends up being displayed on their own blog. David Karp who founded Tumblr states that this feature is key to discourage overly negative comments, diffusing comment wars that ignite and exacerbate bullying and hate speech (Kanai, 2015). 

 A platform that provides connectivity and actively encourages and relies upon the creation and sharing of content, Tumblr is the perfect environment for niche communities to thrive. The ‘hug box’ theory (Kruse et.al, 2017) addresses the ease of eliminating anything we dislike or disagree with online translating to an unfollow, unfriend or delete. This filtration process enables us to make sense of the vast information we are faced with on social media and connects us to likeminded communities with similar interests (Kruse, 2017).  

“These virtual communities based on shared interests rather than shared physical space can be more democratic, less oppressive” (Jenkins, 2016) and despite the absence of a personal profile or social network, the anonymity users have on Tumblr enables them to voice their opinions freely (Papacharissi, 2011). This freedom of speech allows self-expression to be exercised to its full potential with no consequences of a ‘tarnished reputation.’  

Tumblr plays a vital role in shaping our social identity, an online extension of ourselves allowing us to create and play with the ‘look’ of blog through many facets. The way we portray ourselves to our online community, the aesthetic of our blog becomes our new physical appearance to hide behind (Zoonen, 2013). An emphasis on individuality has grown as Tumblr becomes saturated with users, yet a desire to fit in is prevalent, as similar aesthetics are formed and certain themes become popular. Tumblr functions to serve as an extension of ourselves, a place for self expression with no filter and a place that cultivates niche communities.

References

Bruns, A. and Highfield, 2016. Is Habermas On Twitter? Social Media And The Public Sphere.. Routledge, New York: The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics, pp.56-73.

Kanai, A., 2015. WhatShouldWeCallMe? Self-Branding, Individuality and Belonging in Youthful Femininities on Tumblr. M/C Journal, 18(1), pp.1-2.

Kruse, L., Norris, D. and Flinchum, J., 2017. Social Media as a Public Sphere? Politics on Social Media. The Sociological Quarterly, 59(1), pp.62-84.

Lunden, I., 2014. Techcrunch Is Now A Part Of Verizon Media. [online] Techcrunch.com. Available at: <https://techcrunch.com/2014/11/25/tumblr-overtakes-instagram-as-fastest-growing-social-platform-snapchat-is-the-fastest-growing-app/> [Accessed 21 April 2020].

Papacharissi, Z., 2011. A Networked Self. New York: Routledge.

Wilken, R. and McCosker, 2014. The Media & Communications In Australia: Social Selves. pp.291-295.

Zoonen, L., 2013. From Identity To Identification. pp.44-51.