From a Fellow Tumblr User: The Good, the Bad, and the Unique

To get another Tumblr user’s perspective of the social networking site, I talked to one of my fellow sophomores at Creighton. Caitlin Wright and I are both English majors and we often bond over poetry and ridiculously difficult essays. She’s also majoring in Spanish with a minor in legal studies. And, like me, she is obsessed with Tumblr.

Photo courtesy of Caitlin Wright!

I asked her a few questions about her Tumblr experience, and some of her ideas may resurface later as separate blog posts.

Krysta: How many blogs do you have and what are the topics you normally blog about?

Caitlin: I have three different Tumblr blogs, one of them is kind of like a typical hipster Tumblr blog, so it has a lot of pictures on it of clothing and places and things like that. One of them is more of a comedy blog, so that one has more memes and things that I just think are funny and random posts, and then the third one is dedicated to my thoughts. That one is private, it’s set on private and it has a password and everything, so that one is just for me.

K: How long have you been on Tumblr?

C: I’ve been on Tumblr since, I think, 2010. It’s been four or five years, I think.

K: So what are some of the different trends you’ve noticed on Tumblr?

C: Tumblr’s a really interesting place because people back up these huge trends. The other day I was thinking about the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy that ran the marathon, and everyone backed him up. And the Tumblr community is just so strong … and it’s very interesting because they advertise themselves as this all-encompassing, accepting community, and they backlash at people like no other. I notice trends in current events, in world issues, also things in social media that people on Tumblr are promoting but it’s not always true. I feel like a lot of people support lies on Tumblr, but there’s also a lot of just really random funny stuff. That’s the main reason I use Tumblr.

K: What are some of the more positive trends you’ve noticed?

C: Tumblr’s a good place for body image issues, I think, because I’ve notice a lot of things that, I’ve noticed this a lot lately, but a lot of times people will post about, “You can be any size!” but really they’re promoting people who might be uncomfortable with being overweight, and a lot of times—and that’s come up in the media recently—it’s called skinny shaming, and I think Tumblr recognizes that as well. So the idea that it really does not matter what size you are because some people are naturally skinny and others naturally have more weight, and I think a lot of times we like to degrade those who are skinny because, you know, we think they’re shaming people who aren’t. I think we just need to learn to accept all body shapes and sizes and I know Tumblr’s a good community for that.

I’ve also noticed that there’s just a lot of support for mental disabilities as well, which is awesome. Tumblr’s a really great place to express how you’re feeling and I’ve noticed there’s always been so much support. Random people—that’s the awesome thing about Tumblr—random people will send something to your mailbox, like “Hey, beautiful, wanted to say have a great day;” that’s something kind of special because you don’t actually know them, they’re just telling you that they like your blog, they like what you’re interested in too, and they want to wish you a happy day.

K: And then, in contrast, what are some of the negative things you’ve noticed?

C: Like I said earlier, I think a lot of Tumblr users support things that aren’t necessarily true, so they’ll come up with some sort of idea that some celebrity or politician said some thing or another, when in reality they weren’t talking about that at all, and some Tumblr users will point that out and say, “This didn’t actually happen, we shouldn’t be supporting this,” or a picture might be floating around that’s Photoshopped or something like that. Also the idea that, again, even though there’s a lot of support for certain causes, there’s also a lot of backlash. I’ve also seen a lot of things that degrade others, so even if we’re promoting the idea that we should be accepting of all different social standings and mental handicaps or whatever, I’ve also seen a lot of people that will be like, “I hate when people do this,” and I’m one of those people that thinks that everyone has a right to do what they want to as long as it’s promoting the good of everyone, so we really shouldn’t be hating someone for doing something we don’t like—if they’re not hurting anybody I don’t think it matters.

K: What are some of the things you’ve noticed that make Tumblr completely unique from other social networks, like maybe Facebook or Twitter?

C: What’s interesting about Tumblr—and when I first joined I noticed this—is that there’s this secret rule that you’re not supposed to talk about Tumblr with other people, and I think that’s interesting. It’s kind of this place that you’re supposed to be more secretive about, it’s something where you’re not necessarily supposed to say who you are or what you’re about, and it’s like your alter ego in a way, and I think that’s how a lot of people use Tumblr is to promote this alter ego, this person that they can’t be in real life, but they really want to be. And I think that’s really interesting because Facebook and Twitter and Instagram are so narcissistic because a lot of people are posting pictures of themselves and want to promote their great life or the façade of their life, whereas Tumblr is this place where people try to relay their actual feelings and their actual aspirations, so that’s interesting in that aspect.

K: Yeah, I think it’s weird—and yeah, I’ve noticed that too—it’s kind of like the Fight Club of the Internet, that you don’t talk about it, and yet on Facebook and Twitter you always see screenshots of Tumblr posts everywhere. BuzzFeed is full of it.

C: Exactly, exactly, so people know what Tumblr is but they’re not gonna, like—I think it’s odd if someone promotes their own Tumblr, because that’s typically looked down upon in the Tumblr community. I think I was in ninth or tenth grade when I formed my own Tumblr. I asked a few of my friends, but they didn’t know what it was, but I really wanted a blog and I liked the atmosphere of Tumblr, just reblogging posts and stuff, and I know I watched some video on YouTube, and it was like, the rules of Tumblr, and one of them was like, “Rule #1: Don’t talk about Tumblr” and I was like, “Okay…” I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting into, so that was interesting in that aspect.

Also the whole copyright thing, you shouldn’t copy other people’s posts because—which is true, you shouldn’t, but even if you like copy a picture and post it as your own, that’s really looked down upon and people will backlash at you, I’ve seen that a lot. It’s never happened to me personally but I’ve seen that on other posts, like “You copied this from someone else, I’m gonna unfollow you now!” and I think that’s really weird.

K: Is there anything else you want to say about Tumblr in general?

C: Tumblr specifically is just much different from any other blogging community because I feel like people don’t write as much as they post pictures or memes or just short little blurbs that they think are funny, whereas the actual idea of blogging is just writing down your day or even a vlog where you videotape what you did that day or something like that. It’s interesting that it’s almost all in pictures or in short posts or in fanfiction or something like that, but I really like that too because it’s so different. Tumblr never ceases to make me laugh or make me find a new place that I want to go to or new fashion trends or new music. I find new music and poetry all the time on Tumblr, which is really fun, so I just like the idea that it’s a new place for ideas.

Caitlin’s public blogs can be found at typewriters-anonymous or at wrightersworkshop.

Tumblr Humor At Its Finest, Part One

One of the main ways the users of Tumblr have affected my everyday life is by their warped sense of humor.

Sometimes, as I’m laughing hysterically at a Tumblr post, the people around me will ask, “What is it? I want to see!” With tears in my eyes I’ll turn my computer around to let them see the post. Often I’ll get a weak chuckle or a confused expression in response. I’ll try to explain the humorous aspect, but we all know trying to explain the joke makes it less funny. So thanks for putting me in so many awkward situations, Tumblr.

This post is the first of several dedicated to the many funny posts on Tumblr. Some of these everyone will laugh at. Some of them require background knowledge or knowledge of current events to get the joke. And some of them … I don’t even know, man.

Let’s start with something everyone can find funny, one of my favorite examples of Tumblr humor:

Here’s a great post that makes fun of the sentence structure. The commentators of this post choose to interpret the sentence as stating that the crayon will only burn for 30 minutes in an emergency situation. Naturally, one has to wonder what sort of emergency situations apply. I also personally love the aesthetic quality of a crayon on fire.

Now for some creative Tumblr humor. One of the most unique things about Tumblr is the way its users combine old and new media, a topic which will be explored in depth in a later post. This is one of my favorite examples, a combination of an older piece of literature with modern music.

I don’t even know what prompted the original poster to bring those two elements together. But in the Tumblr world, posts like this beg to be created. The second user actually took the time to sit down and puzzle out how Macklemore’s song “Thrift Shop” would be presented in the style of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” and they did it brilliantly. Not only is it hilarious, but it shows the intelligence and creativity of some Tumblr users.

Here’s one that pokes fun at some of the glitches of the new iPhone 6. Apparently it has a habit of bending when someone tries to keep it in a back–or even a front–pocket. So Tumblr had a little fun with that.

Okay, now we’ll get into the weird stuff. This is where I start to think my sense of humor has been permanently twisted by this website.

So here’s something interesting. All of the users who contributed to that post don’t exist at those URLs anymore. Maybe because their mere connection to this post means they were harassed with hundreds of questions about why it even exists. But really. Someone had this idea, managed to scrounge up several GameCubes (or maybe they just had a pile in their basement, I don’t know) and placed them among flowers. If I saw just the picture I would probably wonder what sort of recreational drugs the original poster was on, but the caption really makes this funny. Now I’m picturing a bunch of GameCubes frolicking in a field.

Maybe it’s the pun. Maybe it’s the absurdity of a dog sitting in a news studio. Maybe it’s his blunt reply and the clear indication that this dog has been through puns like this before and will not tolerate this sort of unprofessionalism any longer. Whatever it is, this post gets me every time.

Finally, I think this post sums up Tumblr’s sense of humor quite nicely. Often no caption is required to get the humor across, and this Tumblr user evidently did not feel the need to include one. But everyone once in a while, some person scrolling through their dashboard will come across a post like this and begin to contemplate what exactly led them to this website, to the moment in their existence when they must be subjected to this sort of awful humor.

In this situation, I think the profanity is entirely justified.

Tumblr: Friendly Community or Outlet for Hatred?

Although many people have heard of the social networking site Tumblr, not a lot of the people I associate with have their own accounts. The Tumblr content they see comes from other websites, such as BuzzFeed, which uses Tumblr content in posts like “19 Times Tumblr Asked The Really Important Questions.”*** However, these posts often highlight the funniest, most unique and though-provoking content of the site. Non-Tumblr online users only see the best or most intriguing posts, so their sense of social network and its users may be skewed.

Tumblr users bring many important issues to light, combine old and new content to creative amazing pieces of fanart and media, and share inspirational stories with their followers. A majority of Tumblr users have very liberal political views, advocate for LGTB+ rights, and promote awareness of mental health, all of which can be great things. But often Tumblr users escalate these views to an alarming point: support for homosexuality turns into hatred of heterosexuality, feminism becomes an anti-male agenda, and support for people of color prompts mockery of anyone whose skin is white. Here’s one example.

Although the original post by user pomfette may be seen as funny initially, the contribution by user sjwf*ckups invites a different interpretation of the post. What is it about Tumblr’s atmosphere that makes a post “glorifying abusive relationships” funny? The 200,000+ notes indicate that this post has been liked and reblogged that many times on the site. Did the users who shared it find the post funny, or are they trying to call attention to the issue sjwf*ckups brings to light?

What strikes me the most about this post (which you can view by clicking the link in the caption) is that the original user, pomfette, can no longer be found at that URL. Often this indicates the user received so much hate regarding their content that they moved to a different URL or left Tumblr altogether.

Here’s one more example. I’ll try to censor Tumblr posts in my blog to be as user-friendly as possible (since Tumblr users LOVE to swear), but if you want to see the original uncensored version just click the link in the caption.

User candycoatedcreepies’ rant goes on, providing links to the article and even including quotes, but this screenshot gets the point across. Tumblr has a tendency to jump on the hate-train without bothering to check sources or even to wonder whether the content they are posting could be considered hateful or offensive. Often the original post circulates long before other users bring these issues to light. It makes you wonder how many of the people who reblogged the post initially agreed with these views of hatred.

By the way, I would have linked to candycoatedcreepies’ page to give you an idea of their views, but unfortunately the page could not be found. What a shame.

Thankfully, not all of Tumblr’s users are ignorant to this issue. This post by user year-0f-the-kyle reminds other users that you can’t fight fire with fire. Although Tumblr’s community of haters may not be very big, I see these types of posts circulating way too often for me to think it’s an insignificant issue. Next time you see Tumblr content circulating on the web, ask yourself what sort of views that post is really promoting.

 

***Some or all of the pages I link to on this blog may include foul language and/or views I don’t agree with. Click on them at your own discretion.