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: ,

76,759 Responses to “Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources”

  1. ソフト闇金まるきんのHPへ

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

  2. Wilford Briski

    I found a great…

  3. Norbert Mcquire

    I found a great…

  4. Keven Darnley

    I found a great…

  5. Simon Ranni

    I found a great…

  6. Shelley Hughson

    I found a great…

  7. dump truck and trailers hauling in Houston

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

  8. India is the seventh-largest country globally and is having a rapidly growing economy. Yet, its underprivileged children have to experience some of the worst living conditions. These children have to deal with various issues such as malnutrition, illiteracy, child mortality and abuse.

    However, the civil society and NGOs have been taking concrete steps to help them come out of their lives of misery. Well-designed campaigns by reputed NGOs like Save the Children have helped lakhs of Indian children.

  9. Moses Buchann

    I found a great…

  10. Dump Trucks Trailers Houston

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

  11. We provide the best online services for assignment writing. If you want to write your assignment in unique way and attractive content. Get our services Write My Paper services at very reliable prices. The Great Assignment Help is best place for online write my paper help. Speedy delivery of paper writing assignment.

  12. Land Clearing Trucking in Houston

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

  13. The java project help online is the cornerstone of your engineering or connected IT degree from faculty. It opens various opportunities to begin your career as an expert computer user, however, all the work starts from doing all of your java school assignments in school. Take the best help in the help with java project help online.

  14. Fugen Stone says:

    FugenStone has a range of different Quartz slabs worktops available to give a solid surface for you. We offer quality and affordable quartz slabs in all styles for design and requirement for your kitchen. You can have the quartz slab of your dreams without going out of your pocket.

  15. Redmore320 says:

    They started to franchise the restaurant throughout the United States and set the stage for phenomenal growth in the following decades. After expanding internationally in the 1970s, the brand with the two golden arches is present in 119 countries today and operates over 35,000 restaurants worldwide.

    Visit here: McDonald’s Menu Prices Australia

  16. toym1124 says:

    카지노 apiWe offer power balls. We’re confident that they’re the best.

  17. How Does Plaid Work With Cash App? Those who’ve plaid account will want to add it to the cash app account for money transactions. If you want to ask about this then feel free to call the cash app experts. Technical experts of the cash app will answer your queries instantly. Connect with the technical team via contact number and speak to the team of professionals of the cash app. No matter what sort of issue it is, you can get support service and an exact solution.

    https://www.square-cash-app.com/blog/how-does-plaid-work-with-cash-app/

  18. Garuda138 says:

    thank you for the article, it is very helpful, continue to improve your performance to make it more advanced

  19. Garuda138 says:

    thank you for the article, it is very helpful, continue to improve your performance to make it more advanced

  20. rtp slot says:

    Kami menawarkan bocoran rtp slot tergacor setiap harinya dengan validasi yang PASTI.

  21. Keo nha cai says:

    I’m writing on this topic these days, keo nha cai, but I have stopped writing because there is no reference material. Then I accidentally found your article. I can refer to a variety of materials, so I think the work I was preparing will work! Thank you for your efforts.

  22. Keonhacai says:

    I’ve been looking for photos and articles on this topic over the past few days due to a school assignment, keonhacai and I’m really happy to find a post with the material I was looking for! I bookmark and will come often! Thanks 😀

  23. Private IPTV Access

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

  24. چاپ بنر ارزان و فوری با خدمات سفارش آنلاین چاپ بنر اختصاصی مانند بنر تسلیت ،بنر کربلا ،بنر ترحیم و …
    مقاوم در برابر عوامل جوی از جمله نور خورشید و باران و مناسب برای فضای باز جهت تبلیغات محیطی بر روی انواع فلکسی ، بنر ، استیکر و وینیل ، آسمان مجازی ، فلت بد ، برش لیزر ، بورس روزنگ ، مهر ، مش و رزرو بیلبورد های تبلیغاتی ، تابلوهای سردرب مغازه ها و فروشگاه ها، پوستر های بزرگ تبلیغاتی در فضای باز و فضاهای داخلی ، تبلیغات برروی بدنه وسائل نقیله، سطوح خارجی ساختمان ها و…

    https://honarparsi.com/services/%d8%a2%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%d8%ac%d8%a7%d8%b2%db%8c-2/

  25. maharanacab says:

    Your article has answered the question I was wondering about! I would like to write a thesis on this subject, but I would like you to give your opinion once 
    Bus Rental service in Jaipur

  26. neetexam says:

    In Class 10 Maths there are 15 chapters and students need to solve all the exercises. A few exercises and even chapters are a bit tough to comprehend so, Class 10 Maths NCERT Solutions is ideal for students to practice all the questions asked.
    The NCERT Solutions are helpful and effective because they are prepared by the subject experts keeping in mind the Syllabus.

  27. screen recorder windows 10 free

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

  28. https://www.inventables.com/users/Hesssunesen2093

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

  29. 가자토토 says:

    Thank you for providing useful information. Have a nice day.
    가자토토
    검증업체

  30. 1xbet App says:

    1xbet App

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  31. 종티비 says:

    I think I got some good information. Thank you
    종티비
    스포츠mlb중계

  32. info lengkap says:

    info lengkap

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  33. life school says:

    life school

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  34. dropshipping says:

    dropshipping

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

  35. Check here says:

    Check here

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  36. saran di sini

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  37. idola303 says:

    idola303

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  38. 1xbet Indonesia

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  39. kode promo 1xbet indonesia

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  40. IPTV Service says:

    IPTV Service

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

  41. 1xbet live says:

    1xbet live

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  42. uniform-wiki.win

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  43. Keonhacai says:

    Your writing is perfect and complete. keonhacai However, I think it will be more wonderful if your post includes additional topics that I am thinking of. I have a lot of posts on my site similar to your topic. Would you like to visit once?

  44. situs pkv games

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  45. judi slot deposit pulsa 10000 tanpa potongan

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

  46. Purple Haze says:

    https://herbapproach.com/product/purple-haze/
    I like the value information you provide in your article. Right here I appreciate all of your extra efforts. Thanks for starting this up.

  47. luxury138 login

    like water for chocolate » Assignments

Leave a Reply to Garuda138 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.