Digital Communities

Wanted to follow the local fence company, but they didn’t have enough posts. 

[sarahkwalsh]

Week 11: Social media harassment, conflict and trolling

In my last post, I discussed the benefits of Digital Citizenship and how online communities can be used to create a positive atmosphere online, however, that is not always the case. Although Digital Citizenship has many benefits, social media is a place where a lot of cyberbullying, harassment and trolling takes place. Online harassment includes offensive names, being impersonated, spreading rumours, and threatening a person online. (Lenhart, et al in Marwick & Robyn Caplan 2018). According to Pew Research there has been ongoing concern with the amount of online bullying and harassment, 41% of Americans have been victimised by online harassment and 66% have witnessed bullying online by others. (Pew 2017). Social media apps are becoming apart of people’s everyday lives, making it easy for users to obtain information, as everyone is always connected, cyberbullying is happening more often than normal.

In some ways, the internet can be quite dark and vicious as you may not know who is behind the screen. Internet trolling unfortunately is very present in the online community and is the reason for a lot of online conflicts. Trolling is seen as creating conflict on the internet by starting fights and posting inappropriate content, they are someone who purposely says something controversial in order to get a rise out of other users. (Hanson 2018). Trolling is looked down upon in the online community, however it normally gets a lot of attention as users find trolling entertaining, which can be seen as a negative as it gets more hype than it deserves. I personally see a lot of internet trolls on Twitter as it has the option to be anonymous, meaning you can hide your real identity, making it easier for people to cyberbully, “Frequently Twitter trolling methods involve hijacking popular hashtags and mentioning popular Twitter personalities to gain attention to their followers.” (Vicente 2020). I also notice them quite frequently in the comment section of YouTube videos, they often however generate popularity and responses from angry readers.

Online Harassment, violence and cyberbullying stems from the idea that control and dominance in the real world can then be reciprocated in the online world, where it is carefully drafted and planned, creating a significant response, “While popular discourse often frames online harassment as an issue of individuals engaged in abhorrent behaviour, harassing behaviour is often networked in that it is coordinated and organized.” (Marwick & Caplan 2018). A main reason why internet harassment and cyberbullying are so at large today, is because these bullies are hidden behind a screen, and often under a different name. The absence of physical face to face presence make it easier to bully and troll people online.

References

Pew 2017, Online Harassment 2017, viewed 28th May 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/07/11/online-harassment-2017/ 

Alice E. Marwick & Robyn Caplan, 'Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment'  Feminist Media Studies Volume 18, 2018 - Issue 4: Pages 543-559 

Network, U 2020, Trolls and Their Impact on Social Media | James Hanson, viewed 7 June, 2020, <https://unlcms.unl.edu/engineering/james-hanson/trolls-and-their-impact-social-media>. 

Vicente, V 2020, What Is an Internet Troll? (and How to Handle Trolls), viewed 7 June, 2020, <https://www.howtogeek.com/465416/what-is-an-internet-troll-and-how-to-handle-trolls/>.

[sarahkwalsh]

Week 10: Gaming communities, social gaming and live streaming

When looking at gaming in the past, technologies and platforms have changed significantly from a few years ago. It all started with arcade games, local multiplayer, online multiplayer, now in more recent years we have social media/mobile games as well as online streaming platforms. (Hardwick 2020). Gone are the days where you would sit on the couch with a remote connected by cable to the gaming console, waiting for someone to join you, nowadays, people can play games through the online community where you don’t even need to be near each other in order to play your favourite games. When I think of the word ‘gamer’ or someone who ‘games’, I typically think of a young male who hides in a dark room, alone, playing games all night with a mountain of empty caffeine bottles beside him, or in some cases Taylor Hardwicks example, “white or East Asian, young middle-class, and a man” (Hardwick 2020). However, after listening to Taylor Hardwicks presentation, ‘gamers’ can be anyone of any gender who enjoy playing different types of games and “utilize a full range of electronic or digital games,” (Techopedia 2018). However, in saying this, the ‘social rule; within high gaming communities only accept those who consider themselves gamers, rather than people are just starting out or just playing for fun.

Live-streaming video games has become a new way of gaming as well as highly entertaining for those who enjoy gaming. It involves a live record of someone playing a game, where they then distribute it for people to watch. “That feeling, that I was not watching alone but instead alongside thousands of others in real time, was powerful”. (Taylor 2018). As of recently, it was reported that more people subscribed to video game streamers on YouTube and Twitch n 2017 then Netflix and Stan combined. (Castillo 2019). Video game walkthroughs and guides have been streaming online for many years now, and some YouTubers started their careers by posting gameplays on their channels. One of the earliest and most successful examples was Felix Chelberg, also well known as ‘PewDiePie’ who launched his channel in 2010. His dramatic and comical playthroughs quickly made him very popular and not long after other channels started posting similar content, and soon it became a large and popular community on YouTube. (Castillo 2019).

Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/zzctjcEhcLbJzk9AA

Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/UFYPKFkGDxfuYdidA

Social gaming has become extremely popular as of late, “online games that adapt your friendship ties for play purposes, while accommodating your daily routines.” (Järvinen 2011). Online games allow people to play against their friends as well as strangers from around the world, which in some cases can lead to friendships as well as people playing competitively. “The benefits of mobile gamily are quite obvious. You can do it wherever you are, whenever you can, home while relaxing in s filled tub, or during a long commute,” (Digicult 2020). I myself personally don’t play a lot of online games, however, during this isolation period, myself and my friends have been playing online Uno quite frequently. They have a mobile app as well as a link on Facebook messenger. It’s a way for you friends to verse one another and keep tally of your scores. This was very new to me as I am normally used to playing card games in person, however, with the use of the online app, this was a new way of experiencing playing a physical game whilst at home.

Image: https://images.app.goo.gl/Vn38jsgwYASDcBLF6

Therefore, social media and digital communities have enabled us to create communities online through gaming livestreams where people have based their careers on videoing their game plays. Online games are becoming just as popular as online video streaming services and it is just going to keep on growing. Playing games online may just become the new norm as there is no need to physically be there with someone when you can enjoy playing the game from the comfort of your own home.

References 

Castillo, N 2020, What is Video Game Live Streaming?, viewed 6 June, 2020, <https://ag.hyperxgaming.com/article/8482/what-is-video-game-live-streaming>. 

Digicult, R 2020, The Insane Growth of Social Gaming, viewed 6 June, 2020, <http://digicult.it/internet/the-insane-growth-of-social-gaming/>. 

Taylor, TL 2018, Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, Princeton University Press, Princeton 

Hardwick, T 2020, ‘Lecture 10. Gaming communities, social gaming and live streaming’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning material via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 20 May, viewed 20 May 2020 

Techopedia 2018, What is Gamer?, viewed 24th May 2020, <https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1912/gamer>.

[sarahkwalsh]

Week 9: Digital Communities, political engagement and activism

An essential part of Digital Citizenship is Political engagement, and within that it includes campaigning and activism. A campaign can be defined as a “project of linked actions organised towards achieving a particular goal,” through political, social, business or marketing. (Stickels, 2020). In order for a campaign to be implemented and effective, it needs to have good organisation skills in order to grow and deliver. Organisation within a campaign means “working together to achieve a shared aim,” (Stickels, 2020). As mentioned in the lecture slides, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory,” (week 9, slide 8) (Sun Tzu and Alvin) meaning in order to gain ‘victory’ you need to have a vision and game plan.

Activism is “taking action to effect social change... through social, political, economic and environmental change,” (Introduction to activism, 2020). This means the activism group tries to put a stop to issues in society that could be affecting certain groups and communities. Some examples of what people are fighting for today include #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, #Climatechange and many more. Here are some images of protests that are happening as people strive to make a change to better and improve our society.

https://images.app.goo.gl/oboTcVgEQ2APRiGj7

https://images.app.goo.gl/BCPMm1gdqv849PD66

https://images.app.goo.gl/xpi1NjnhgBbpwmFF9

In this day and age, with technology being the main source of communication for most people, a lot of activists and protesters are using social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook in order to reach out to a wide group of people from different countries and backgrounds. This shines light on certain topics that some may not be aware of and gets people involved in making positive change. Evidence suggests that there is a positive correlation between political internet use and political change and behaviours, which includes a wider knowledge and awareness of political subjects. (Yamamoto & Kushin, 2014). 

When looking at current world issues, after the horrific death of George Floyd, millions of movements, campaigns and riots have been established in person and offline. Many people have been racing to Instagram to share images, call lines and petitions with their friends and followers, as well as using the hashtags in order to promote #Blacklivesmatter. During the past week or so, many activists have been promoting people to join the protests in order to make a change and get everyone involved and fight for what matters. This just shows that political engagement can be seen in all different types of ways. Every single person has a voice and brain with their own thoughts and opinions, holding responsibility and factors that could impact a community and help make change to the world.

It is clear to see that digital communities are being used by activists in order to promote movements and campaigns to a large group of people which helps spread awareness of a positive call for action. This movement, in the long run, will change the behaviour of governments as well as the minds of people all over the world. The activists had a vision, and a goal, as well as organisation and motivation, which created a movement that shaped the entire nation. Through social media sites, millions of people were able to get involved and stand up to fight for a cause they believe in.

References 

Yamamoto, M & Kushin, M 2013, "More Harm Than Good? Online Media Use and Political Disaffection Among College Students in the 2008 Election", Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 430-445, viewed January, 2020,<https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/19/3/430/4067551>. 

Andrew, X 2020, Introduction to Activism | Permanent Culture Now, viewed 1 June, 2020, <https://www.permanentculturenow.com/what-is-activism/>. 

Stickels, L 2020, ‘Week 9. Digital activism and campaigning’, MDA20009 Digital communities, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 13 May, viewed 13 May 2020. 

Sun Tzu and Alvin 2020, ‘Week 9. Digital activism and campaigning,’ MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 13 May, viewed 1 June 2020.

[sarahkwalsh]

Week 8: Female Body Image and Pornification Online

When we think of the old Instagram, we think of a wholesome platform for family and friends to share photos of their life and adventures, although this is still the case in current times, the platform is now being used as a marketing tool, and a place for women to express themselves in more ways than one. When we look at our social media feeds, in particularly Instagram, it is rare to scroll through without seeing a woman in a bikini or wearing clothing that extenuates their body and features. This is commonly known as ‘Pornification.’ Which is where women gain attention on social media through a highly sexualised aesthetic, which is commonly ‘pornified’ borrowing similar looks from mainstream pornography images. (Drenten, Gurrieri & Tyler, 2019). This can be viewed in different ways, is it a way for women to embrace their bodies and encourage body positivity in women, or is it is seen as a negative portrayal of women where young girls have high expectations for their bodies from these highly photoshopped images.

Chessie King is an Instagram influencer who I have been following for quite some time now with 789 thousand followers. She believes in ‘breaking up the perfect Instagram feed’ by posting raw and unedited photos of her belly rolls, cleavage area and backside photos. @chessiekingg. For instance, she posted a video of her tummy clenched and looking thin and perfect, but when she turned to her side she relaxed and showed what her tummy actually looked like. “It’s not an illusion, it’s not tricker, it’s the human body, a body that moves, reshapes with movement.” (King, 2020). Looking at this from a feminist outlook, and the idea of girls supporting girls, posting these images of her unperfect, natural body shows women all over the world that they shouldn’t be ashamed with what they look like, they should just embrace it. “Body positivity is about making people ‘love’ their own bodies no matter what size and embracing your flaws. It is. About making everybody feel happy and comfortable in their own bodies and respecting all other bodies.” (Van Es, 2019). Chessie is a great example of this as she has stated in interviews that with her large Instagram following, she is someone that a lot of girls can look up to and say if Chessie is going through it so can I. (Alexander. 2019).

Image Found: https://www.instagram.com/chessiekingg/

However, looking at this from an objectifying perspective, posting sexualised images on social media has been associated with wider culture pressures (Daniels, 2016). The use of pornographication has been heavily enabled by the growth of internet and digital communities. (Thompson, 2016). This is done through a range of beauty practices such as appropriate lighting, body enhancement, and photo editing which is commonly used by celebrities. (Abidin, 2016). This can lead to girls having high and unrealistic expectations about their body and comparing themselves to these famous Instagram influencers. Let’s look as Kim Kardashian for example. A very famous American media personality, model, businesswomen, and most of all, a huge social media influencer with over 170 million Instagram followers. Kim is known for posting bikini and lingerie images to her many followers. Not long ago she posted an Instagram sponsored by Flat Tummy Co where she was promoting their meal replacement shakes. The ad did not go down very well and people were claiming that the shakes were dangerous, misleading and inappropriate to expose laxatives to millions of her young fans. (Nzengung, 2019). Deanna Puglia, a specialist in media states, “social media is a new avenue for individuals to engage in maladaptive body comparison processes, creating a need for health communication and behaviour change interventions.” (Puglia, 2019). Young girls already have incredibly high standards when social media influencers like Kim Kardashian post their exposing and revealing images of their ‘perfect’ and unachievable body, promoting meal replacement shakes is taking it to the next step in a negative way as it is promoting unhealthy dieting that can be very dangerous for young girls.

Image Found: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47090374

To conclude, at the end of the day, women have a right to express their bodies without shame or embarrassment, social media, specifically Instagram, is now a platform where girls can support girls in a positive and uplifting way, where women shouldn’t be ashamed to show who they really are. However, this does not mean that social media influencers should encourage negative and harmful standards of beauty. Social media influencers have a large following, so they should be honest and upfront with their viewers about how they achieve their body without promoting negative substances.

References

Alexander, M 2019, If you follow one person on Instagram today, make it Chessie King, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/chessie-king-instagram-influencer-body-positivity-love-your-body/274717>.

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L & Tyler, M 2019, How highly sexualised imagery is shaping 'influence' on Instagram - and harassment is rife, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://theconversation.com/how-highly-sexualised-imagery-is-shaping-influence-on-instagram-and-harassment-is-rife-113030>.

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L & Tyler, M 2019, ‘Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention’, Gender Work Organ, vol. 27, pp. 41-66.

Nzengung, C 2019, Kim Kardashian Is Back to Promoting Flat Tummy Co, and the Internet Is Not Happy, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://www.instyle.com/news/kim-kardashian-flat-tummy-meal-replacement-shakes>.

Thompson, s 2016, How Social Media Is Transforming Medical Care In The Developing World, viewed 17 May, 2020, <https://www.fastcompany.com/3057869/how-social-media-is-transforming-medical-care-in-the-developing-world>.

Van Es, J 2020, Body positivity online, viewed 3 May, 2020, <https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/body-positivity-online>.

[traitspourtraits]

Buy less - fashion is the world's second most polluting industry and the world consumes 80 billion pieces of clothing each year.

Choose well - second hand or ethical and sustainable fashion are good alternatives to the largest employer of women globally (80% of the world’s garment workers are women), where less than 2% of women workers in Colombian mines, Bangladeshi factories, or Vietnam textile mills earn a living wage.

Make it last - Doubling the useful life of clothing from one year to two years reduces emissions over the year by 24%.

[sarahkwalsh]

This post looks at the week 7 topic and the importance of ethical clothing 

[sarahkwalsh]

Week 7: Fast Fashion and the Slow Fashion Movement

Today’s post is about Fashion, specifically looking at Fast fashion in comparison to slow fashion. I personally love shopping, as well as keeping up with the new fashion trends and styles, this includes looking at social media accounts to gain inspiration, which I know a lot of girls like myself do this, however, do we know where the clothing is coming from or if its sustainably made? Fast fashion can be defined as “lower-quality, low-priced, mass produced and machine-made garments that quickly end up in landfills.” (Aishwariya, 2019). Slow fashion in contrast is typically made by hand which means better quality that last longer, use artistic talent and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet. (Hill, 2018). More people are looking towards slow fashion as people are becoming more concerned for the environment as well as the child labour that goes into making fast fashion.

As fast fashion is cheap and can be easily located, it leads to an over consumption of spending and consumers purchasing more clothes then they actually need, which leads to fashion waste which badly impacts the environment. Recently, popular media users have been expressing the importance of slow fashion which has led to an increase in the ‘slow fashion movement’. Slow fashion involves longer and more ethical production lines, use of local materials and a focus on sustainability and quality. (Hall, 2017). The rise of the slow fashion movement could be because of a growth in awareness of the damages Fast fashion has. It was estimated that 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse emissions were produced in 2015 due to the fibres and textiles industry (Brewer, 2019). As the global fashion industry makes up 10% of the worlds carbon emissions, it is important that clothes are being made in an environmentally safe way, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas being emitted into the air.

The ‘Slow Fashion Movement’ has been widely spread on social media, especially Instagram bloggers. There are several social media influencers who promote sustainable fashion, how to become sustainable in your clothing, the impacts of fast fashion and how to live ethically and environmentally friendly. For example, @ironicminimalist is an Instagram influencer who is known to be a ‘Slow fashion stylist’. She shows people through her photos how to style slow fashion pieces and she believes in the importance of owning a minimalist wardrobe (only owning a few of everything). She also holds ‘Slow fashion workshops’ where she teaches people how to create a sustainable wardrobe. She has a following of 3,384 people who comment on her photos expressing their thoughts and appreciation. Social media is a fantastic tool to help project topics you are passionate about, and the slow fashion movement is only growing with the amount of sustainable fashion accounts being made every single day.

Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/ironicminimalist/

The second-hand clothing store ‘Thred Up’ stated “Compared to the overall apparel market, resale’s growth has been phenomenal. As the market uniquely meets consumers’ preference for variety, value and sustainability, we expect the high growth to continue”. (Saunders 2019). This is promising as more people are seeming to drift towards slow fashion, and at a quicker pace also, which will overall help towards to improvement of our environment as well as the improvement of quality in our fashion. Picking out outfits and styling staple pieces is a lot of fun, however knowing it was ethically made and produced will make you feel even better wearing it.

Aishwariya, S 2019, Fast vs Slow Fashion, viewed 6 May, 2020, <https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/8460/fast-vs-slow-fashion>. 

Hill, M 2018, What Is Slow Fashion?, viewed 6 May, 2020, <https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-slow-fashion/>. Hall, J 2017, "Digital Kimono: Fast Fashion, Slow Fashion?", Fashion Theory, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 283-307. 

Brewer. M.K, 2019, ‘Slow Fashion in a Fast Fashion World: Promoting Sustainability and Responsibility’ Laws, Vol 8, Iss 4 

ThredUp 2019, 2019 Fashion Resale Market and Trend Report | thredUP, viewed 6 May, 2020, <https://www.thredup.com/resale?tswc_redir=true>.

[sarahkwalsh]

Week 6: Digital Citizenship and political communication through social media

Digital citizenship is a person who “has the knowledge and skills to effectively use digital technologies to communicate with others, participate in society and create and consume digital content.” (Digital Technologies Hub). Digital citizenship is also about positive engagement online and being confident with digital technologies. Being a digital citizen has come to be very important, especially in this day and age as it is essential for individuals to know how different social media sites work, so they can fit in with society and communicate effectively online.

Being a digital Citizen and using these social media platforms allows Australian users to get involved and interact with one another through political discussions. This lets people discuss important topics and participate in online conferences and debates regardless of their social status, also having equal and infinite access to information and protected participation. (Kruse & Flinchum, 2018). Hashtags are a great way for people to communicate through a topic and find likeminded people. A popular one in Australia is #Auspol which stands for Australian Politics, this hashtag gives users the opportunity to converse in current topics in Australian politics and the federal government. This hashtag is mostly used on twitter as it is a large online platform with many users, big enough to start up debates on formal topics (Bogile, 2018). Digital Citizens are constantly using the #Auspol space which results in ongoing debates and continuous engagement in the political development by sharing their opinions through online platforms, which is a big part of Digital Citizenship is.

Social media is playing a progressively large role in the way campaigns communicate with voters as well as each other. Twitter especially has become a platform for mass communication in debates and campaigns (Enli, 2017). This was shown and demonstrated in the 2016 US election when candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton used social media platforms as a space for online discussions and a way to communicate with their audience and gain a following using political marketing. Both candidates used different approaches to target their audiences, Clinton used a professional business-like manner whilst Trump used humour and childlike behaviour in his posts which showed the different sides to the candidates. (Enli, 2017). The candidates used their social media presence to represent their political image and engage as they knew that social media platforms are increasingly being used as a source of news and would be the fastest and easiest way to get in touch with their audience. (Enli, 2017).

In conclusion, Digital Citizenship is an important part in communicating in this society and allows for political communication through the use of online platforms. It gives people to opportunity to decide their values and what they believe in through what they see online, it also allows people to gain an understanding in who they are voting for as they get to know their candidates better on a more personal level online. Social media is only going to get bigger so Digital Citizenship is important as this is the way the world is going, and people need to adapt so they can be involved in important discussions such as Australian politics.

Australia, E 2020, Digital citizenship | Digital Technologies Hub, viewed 6 April, 2020, <https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/teachers/topics/digital-citizenship>. 

Bogle, A 2016, ‘#auspol: the Twitter hashtag Australia can’t live without’, Mashable Australia, 21 March, viewed 31 March 2020, <https://mashable.com/ 2016/03/21/twitter-australia-auspol/>. 

Enli, G 2017, ‘Twitter as arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election’, European Journal of Communication, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 50 - 61 

Kruse, LM Norris, DR & Flinchum, JR 2018, ‘Social Media As A Public Sphere? Politics on Social Media’, The Sociological Quarterly, 59:1, 62-84,

[sarahkwalsh]

[sarahkwalsh]

How does Tumblr function as a Digital Community?

With current media technologies and the growth of social media platforms such as Tumblr, it gives a new way for people to explore creativity and discussion with likeminded people. Tumblr as a platform is able to connect your interests with other people’s interests, where you can ‘express yourself, ‘be yourself, and ‘connect with people’. (Tumblr 2020). Tumblr lets you explore your imagination with the use of images, GIFs, messaging and tagging, as well as re-blogging content that stands out to you. It gives you the opportunity to share things you are passionate about, and you will find that you won’t be alone, many people will also share your interests and passions, allowing you to build strong bonds within a supportive community.

Tumblr is a site where you have access to an array of people with different interests, all free of charge. Because Tumblr is private and people have the option to be anonymous, it is seen as a ‘Public Sphere’, a term developed by German Philosopher Habermas in the 1990’s. “A place where private people come together as a public.” (Kruse 2018).  Tumblr does this as people may be afraid to post their opinions as themselves for fear of embarrassment in front of friends and family. (Kruse, Norris & Flinchum 2018). Lucky for people on Tumblr, the site allows them to create their own identity that doesn’t have to resemble themselves at all. A particular student that was interviewed by Livingstone and Sefton-Green stated “Tumblr… That’s, like, my space. I have everything perfect… I wouldn’t show my parents my Tumblr. I wouldn’t show my friends.” (Livingstone and Sefton-Green 2016, P.94). It gives users a sense of privacy and individuality that they can’t experience with other social media sites such as Facebook where you have to be your true self.

According to Statista data, in 2019 Tumblr had 171.5 Billion posts (Statista 2019) and 495.5 million bog accounts on the site. (Statista 2020), making it a prime space for people to share and create content. Tumblr also functions as a space where users can discuss any topic including more real-world issues such as gender publics, feminist pride and politics as well as more mainstream topics such as movies, books and celebrity fandoms. (Tiffany 2019). Social media sites including Tumblr use hashtags that allow you to find particular topics other people have displayed interest in, which help to create a digital community on Tumblr as users can come together and form groups based on their similarities and interests.

To summarise, it is evident that the social media site Tumblr functions as a digital community as it allows users with similar interest to connect with one another to create online interactions and bonds. You can do this by being yourself, or a different persoonia without any judgment from others. Especially during this difficult time during the COVID-19 outbreak, people still need a way to communicate with others and express themselves during these hard times, Tumblr is a place where people can escape and feel safe, reading and viewing things they enjoy.

Tumblr c. 2007, About, Tumblr, viewed 23 April 2020, <https://www.tumblr.com/about>. 

Kruse, LM Norris, DR & Flinchum JR 2018 Social Media as a Public Sphere? Politics on social media, The Sociological Quarterly, 59:1, 62-84 

Livingstone, SM & Sefton-Green J 2016, The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age, New York University Press, New York. 

Statista.com, 2019, Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 4th quarter 2019, Statista, viewed 30 March 2020, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/>. 

Tiffany, K 2019, Tumblr’s First Year Without Porn, The Atlantic, viewed 8 March 2019, <https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/12/tumblr-year-review-2019-nsfw-ban-memes/602911/>.