Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

When dealing with social media platforms as spaces of activism these sites can be innovative, powerful, and fast-moving at best, and at its worst chaotic and unfocused. The line between these two distinctions is actually slighter than one might realize. This understanding of cyber activism became clearer when faced with the question “What is contemporary ‘blacktivism’ according to Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram?”

Being a avid user of the popular blogging platform, Tumblr, and as such well-versed in the language and etiquette of the site, I sought my answer through my dashboard. Tumblr is composed of a endless scroll, comparable to Facebook’s newsfeed, that displays every user you ‘follow”s posts that can consist of either a link, photo, video, mp3, or text file that can be organized by ‘tags’. Like Twitter, there is a give and take between control: you cannot control what users post, but you can control who you follow. You ultimately build up the queue of information displayed on your dashboard.

This rule of thumb on Tumblr already an issue in itself, as it’s not only necessary to have an account to view such information, but it also requires stock knowledge of which users promote social activism the most. Already in this way, Tumblr blacktivism is exclusive in the broader sense of the term.  However because I am an established user of 5 years, this constraint only appeared in my thoughts after my study.

Taking into account the formatting and style of the website (and the advantage of 5 years of knowledge), I began my study of 30 minutes scrolling down my dashboard sure that out of my selected 500 some users one would surely post something under the activism tree. After about a minute of scrolling I saw a linked post that described the new case of Ebola in Liberia as an STD. The random post was one centered on awareness, not truly giving a solution to a possible rebirth of the Ebola crisis. And for a while this was the only post I saw. Because Tumblr is composed as a live feed, the minutes I scrolled down the dashboard before I encountered another post for social justice felt like eons.

It wasn’t until I encountered a post by a rather prominent Tumblr user in both the black and activist circles that my research progressed. This individual posted a series of inforgraphics that described the various levels of Israeli settlement on Palestinian territory, the fraught Palestinian citizenship across Israel and Palestine, and general problematic restriction of Palestinian people. The post was significantly informative as most portrayals of Palestine capitalize on the destruction of the Gaza Strip rather than the conditions that provide for this kind of environment, and the surrounding oppressions widespread through out the country. I then opened up another tab in my web browser to later peruse the user’s account, sure of the rich content in store, simultaneously still looking for another possible user to study. Right underneath their post Micdotcom, an active news source, posted GIFs of Porsha Olayiwola’s  poem that criticizes the misogynoir latent in police brutality discourse and the general dismissal of the pain black women face at the hands of black men.

Having at least two users under my belt and just ten minutes left of study, I decided to quickly delve deeper into each site. The first user’s activism centered mostly on the personal: crowdfunding for a poor black transwoman, a black family nearing homelessness, and written text posts that criticize various tangents of their multiple jeopardies as a queer transman of color. The text posts all had a least a thousand ‘notes’, which consisted of either likes or ‘reblogs’ (when users repost the content to their blogs). Furthermore you could see a constant rapport developing on these text posts that pursued discourse or fermented friendships. On this given users page the queer community of color was strong and accounted for. Switching tabs to Micdotcom, the website served as a curated collection of black internet activism across platforms. Screenshots of tweets raising awareness against recent police brutalities (#JusticeforJason, #SayHerName to name a couple), gifs of award shows and videos, news clips, and original Tumblr user posts decorated the page. Micdotcom served as a hub of generalized activism rather than specific black communal activist space.

It is in this way that Tumblr both triumphs and fails as a platform for social change. On one hand the site is a space for endless possibilities that allow for news sources and user-created online ‘zines to provide a constant stream of information crucial for social justice. These carefully curated hubs of information are a great start for both users and visitors of Tumblr. One does not need membership to view or message the copious amount of blogs present on the site. However their existence does not necessitate the existence of black community on Tumblr, individual users do. One would need to follow both prominent and random bloggers in the black community on Tumblr. These bloggers, your chosen informants, brothers, and sisters dictate your involvement with blacktivism. They raise causes for “Black Tumblr” to rally against, to raise money for, or even formally petition against on “Change.org”. These bloggers can help you through your journey of understanding matrices of oppression in your daily life, as well as navigate questions of gender/sexual/racial identity through direct messages, text posts, photos and videos open for commentary…..provided that you follow them. In addition to this slight oversight black users cannot be streamlined in the fighting of antiblackness. Some users are a part of “Queer Tumblr” or “Transgender Tumblr”or the dreaded “Barbershop Tumblr” (a part of Tumblr which is characterized by pro-black homophobic misogynoiristic users). Various pockets of Tumblr wholesale ignore some oppressions, such as colorism, to maintain their privilege and membership to the black community simultaneously. Tumblr can be a place rife with the schisms that plague physical activist spaces.

Ethical issues aside, in this sort of research Tumblr even fails in organization. Like Twitter it employs the hashtag system to organize posts, in order to make searches easier for users and non-users, however unlike Twitter, these tags are hardly agreed upon and are used liberally. Users sometimes use the tag system to input their commentary to protect the aesthetic integrity of a post. This so-called ‘talking in the tags’ makes for a chaotic black hole of information that can only be retrieved if you search that particular blogger’s archive. Tumblr has the potential to be a mess of epic proportion.

Ultimately Tumblr as a space for cyber black activism continuously toes the line of innovation and chaos. The ample opportunity for commentary and grassroot movement give Tumblr the chance to make virtual spaces of social justice bleed into the real world. However this is constantly mired by the disorganization, petty squabbles between users, and randomization of posts that is present on the site.

Word Count: 1138

 

Tags: ,

76,758 Responses to “Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources”

  1. The article is really awesome. Thanks for posting this article.

  2. office 2022 says:

    Thanks for watching my blog. When you work from home, your home office setup needs to be as efficient as any office building.

  3. 7M says:

    7M

    blog topic

  4. سی آر ام چیست

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  5. YouTube video ranking service

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  6. هانا says:

    هانا

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  7. https://www.arcorarobinet.com/en/

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-HAuEoCwm8

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  9. payeer automatics

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  10. I think this is a useful post and it is especially. I would like to thank you for visiting my blog.
    https://sites.google.com/view/outlook-365-logins/

  11. Thesis Help says:

    We know that your PhD dissertation is a very important final piece of your educational career, and can be a long and stressful project following years of hard work. For this reason, we will match you with the best thesis help in your field who has achieved academic success within your area of specialization. Our team of thesis helpers has studied extensively at accredited institutions, and many have reached the top of their fields. With our best thesis help, your work will be incapable and eager hands.
    ● High-quality work – if you want a thesis helper with top-notch quality, then our writers are the most appropriate. They know how to articulate the best piece that matches the educational level of the clients.
    ● Error-free content – you can be confident that the essays they compose are often faultless with the extensive proofreading that our experts do.
    ● We have an anti-plagiarism policy for original articles, which indicates that the works we give to our clients are original.
    ● Timely submission – our professionals are excellent at meeting with the deadline. When you put an order, the writers immediately begin to work on it to ensure that they produce it before your defined time period. In comparison to writers who overcharge students for their writing assistance, inexpensive programs provide student-friendly services.
    We know that when your grades and academic future are on the line, it needs a lot of faith to rely on someone else to give the best thesis help for you. It can be a little stressful to put your future in the hands of an online company, particularly if you’ve had a bad experience in the past with a low-quality online thesis help.

  12. شیرآلات ساختمان

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  13. rubberlijm says:

    rubberlijm

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  14. glaslijm says:

    glaslijm

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  15. idn poker says:

    idn poker

    blog topic

  16. is one very interesting post. 토토사이트I like the way you write and I will bookmark your blog to my favorites.

  17. marijuana candy
    Excellent . Keep up the good work.

  18. vivoslot.net says:

    vivoslot.net

    blog topic

  19. Good job, i was surfing and i came across this blog and the content is great.
    High Purity Coke Dealer

    https://www.highpuritycoke.com/

  20. great job and quality content, I will love to visit this site again.
    The High Puritys

    http://thehighpuritys.com/

  21. Thanks, a lot i have learn new and fantastic things on your block, i will love to visit this site again .

    Exotic Parrot store

    https://www.exoticparrotstore.com/

  22. watch tv online

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  23. juhi2206 says:

    resurge is the all-in-one supplement, torches fat from your body naturally without treating the body with toxic chemicals. It primarily focuses on the stubborn fat areas like hips, thighs, or belly, where it is difficult to shed excessive fat.Resurge reviews @ https://resurgestore.org/

  24. leptoconnect reviews says:

    LeptoConnect contains a total of 18 ingredients. All of these are natural and organic. We won’t mention all of these because some of them aren’t related to weight loss.leptoconnect reviews @ https://leptoconnectstore.org/

  25. журналистские расследования в украине телевидение

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  26. Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to “return the favor”.I’m trying to find things to improve my site!I suppose its ok
    to use some of your ideas!!

  27. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank you, However, I am having issues with your RSS.
    I don’t know why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anyone else getting similar RSS issues?
    Anyone that knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanks!!

  28. vesti says:

    I am really glad I have found this info.A good web site with interesting content,
    that is what I need. You have done a outstanding job!

  29. vesti dana says:

    Hi! I simply want to give you a huge thumbs up for the excellent info you have here on this post.
    I will be coming back to your web site for more soon.

  30. Fabrication says:

    Fabrication

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  31. https://www.balconyblinds.com/

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  32. God is foolishness

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  33. https://showerdrape.com/

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  34. slot says:

    I read your article very well. It is very useful and informative for me. I see it well.
    May I share my site with your post?

  35. https://windowcool.com

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  36. https://www.arcorawasserhahn.de/en/

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  37. penis envy mushrooms
    Amazing post. Thank you for providing these details.

  38. https://www.arcorafaucet.com/

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  39. สุ่มรหัสบัตรทรู

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  40. Proxies For Gsa Ser

    I found a great…

  41. カルティエ ディアマン ネックレス lm

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  42. Carrytel Promotion Code Quebec

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  43. News Post Wall Today Deals News Post Cryptocurrency News Latest news Finance news updates

  44. News Post Wall Today Deals News Post Cryptocurrency

  45. News Post Wall Today Deals News Post Cryptocurrency News Latest news Finance news updates

    verity news now Best Deals Today verity US Verity News Sports News Today US

  46. http://burgersbratspropwash.com/008-dsc05087/?replytocom=101018

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  47. https://powergismo.com/

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  48. https://imiwins.com

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  49. Start earning good income this year! It’s fast and easy. Take a look at this short course! Business Administration Diploma

Leave a Reply to news post daily Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.