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: ,

76,775 Responses to “Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources”

  1. We stumbled over here from a different website andthought I might check things out. I like what I see so i amjust following you. Look forward to looking at your web page repeatedly.
    비아그라 파는곳7193v.

  2. Express Entry was first introduced by the Government of Canada in January 2015, replacing the Canadian Government’s old immigration system. This immigration system is the most popular immigration system among those seeking permanent residency in Canada. During the Express Entry process, skilled immigrants are selected who intend to reside permanently in Canada and participate in the prosperity of the Canadian economy.

  3. The best digital currency news that is published
    quickly and with which you can do your trading and
    be informed about the world of digital currency
    and its news.

  4. This refers to media that you or a company controls and possesses. Some examples of owned media include an electronic device, a website, a blog

  5. Nice Information Good Work Keep it Up! We are provide the best ielts preparation in karachi

  6. Amin says:

    تداول أسمنت اليمامة هو سهم تابع لشركة أسمنت اليمامة المحدودة وهي شركة مساهمة في المملكة العربية السعودية. يقع المقر الرئيسي لها في مدينة الرياض.

  7. result hk says:

    Such an enlightening website. An obligation of appreciation is all together for sharing. Furniture is a thing that we in general need in our home or workplace. In case you thinking about obtaining new goods, by then I propose you buy victorian decorations. Since it’s altogether pleasing and the arrangement is so impeccable. result hk

  8. kraft-ulrich says:

    kraft-ulrich

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

  9. โหลดline pc

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

  10. Anda dapat mengunjunggi situs Slot Bonanza138 apabila ingin merasakan permainan slot online paling sensasional hanya menggunakan 1 ID akun saja anda sudah dapat bermain ratusan permainan.

  11. Anda dapat mengunjunggi situs Slot Bonanza138 apabila ingin merasakan permainan slot online paling sensasional hanya menggunakan 1 ID akun saja anda sudah dapat bermain ratusan permainan.

  12. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales is a leading software solution system that provides refined capabilities to improve business operations through predicting customer requirements, building effective customer relationships and revenue, delivering customer insights and the minimization of administrative obstacles.

    NAV Upgrade

  13. betmate says:

    배팅의성지먹튀검증 안전한메이저

  14. channa-place says:

    channa-place

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

  15. Excellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking bitmain antminer s19

  16. Softs32 says:

    Hi dear, It is really enjoyable to visit your website because you have such an amazing writing style.
    Stellar Repair for Excel Crack

  17. you are absolutely right. but in today’s world we cannot deny the fact that social media platforms have decreased our quality of life and they have taken away from us almost as much as they’ve given.

  18. bygregcampbell

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

  19. The Dlink router login process helps in accessing the web-based management page of the router. You can configure various settings of the router and alter them at your convenience. Just make sure that the internet connection is smooth and stable throughout the process. In case you want more information on the Dlink router login process, call our experts now on the toll-free number.

  20. The Dlink router login process helps in accessing the web-based management page of the router. You can configure various settings of the router and alter them at your convenience. Just make sure that the internet connection is smooth and stable throughout the process. In case you want more information on the Dlink router login process, call our experts now on the toll-free number.

  21. The default gateway extender.linksys.com can be used in the process of Linksys setup wifi extender. You can also take the help of the default IP address here as an alternative. Make sure that the internet connection is smooth and stable. If you get stuck anywhere, our team of experts is present at your rescue anytime and anywhere.

  22. free real sex videos

    blog topic

  23. ibc88play says:

    ibc88play

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

  24. openarchdc says:

    openarchdc

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

  25. Organic OG Kush
    Excellent blog. keep on posting!

  26. Sex online Live

    blog topic

  27. nft says:

    nft

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

  28. Konveksi Kaos Soppeng

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

  29. We stumbled over here from a different website andthought I might check things out. I like what I see so i amjust following you. Look forward to looking at your web page repeatedly.
    비아그라 파는곳7192v.

  30. joker8888 says:

    joker8888
    There are pretty, beautiful girls who are always dealing with cards without getting bored.
    games that are played online And supports
    Full of fun, exciting, challenging, comes with a clear HD picture system.

  31. olenation888 says:

    olenation888

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

  32. Hello there, I discovered your web site via Google while searching for a related topic, your web site came up, it appears good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

  33. deltabet88 says:

    deltabet88

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

  34. free online sex video chat

    blog topic

  35. 技術士試験 対策講座

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

  36. dqwdwqd says:

    gclubvip888 เว็บคาสิโนออนไลน์ที่ดีที่สุด ฝาก-ถอนออโต้ คืนยอดเสียทุกวันจันทร์ 10% สูงสุด 10000 บาท ถอนได้เลยไม่ต้องทำเทิร์นเกมคาสิโนออนไลน์ที่ดีที่สุด ระบบ ฝาก-ถอนออโต้ คืนยอดเสียสูงสุด 10000 บาททุกวันจันทร์

  37. edqwdwq says:

    gclubvip888 เว็บคาสิโนออนไลน์ที่ดีที่สุด ฝาก-ถอนออโต้ คืนยอดเสียทุกวันจันทร์ 10% สูงสุด 10000 บาท ถอนได้เลยไม่ต้องทำเทิร์นเกมคาสิโนออนไลน์ที่ดีที่สุด ระบบ ฝาก-ถอนออโต้ คืนยอดเสียสูงสุด 10000 บาททุกวันจันทร์

  38. apk says:

    nice blog and nice article
    see you soon!

  39. i want to see porn

    blog topic

  40. firstplay88 says:

    firstplay88

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

  41. bringkortnehome

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

  42. We stumbled over here from a different website andthought I might check things out. I like what I see so i amjust following you. Look forward to looking at your web page repeatedly.
    비아그라 파는곳7191v.

  43. fortuneslot88

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

  44. eAstro Help says:

    BTS Zodiac Signs : Know the Zodiac Signs of V, Suga, Jimin, and other Members · 1. Virgo: RM & Jungkook · 2. Libra: Jimin · 3. Sagittarius: Jin · 4.

  45. Sex Porn says:

    Sex Porn

    blog topic

  46. If You are a NMIMS Student and looking for NMIMS Assignments at discounted price. Then contact us and get your readymade NMIMS Assignments.

Leave a Reply to routerlogin dlink Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.