NASA
occasionally subtle
Origami Around
titsay
EXPECTATIONS
noise dept.
No title available
YOU ARE THE REASON
shark vs the universe
d e v o n
if i look back, i am lost
art blog(derogatory)
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
cherry valley forever
Sweet Seals For You, Always
Kaledo Art
No title available
trying on a metaphor
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Show & Tell
seen from Türkiye
seen from Peru
seen from Germany
seen from Switzerland
seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from Australia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Germany
seen from Germany
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Israel
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Russia
seen from Czechia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
@sourstarlight-blog
Design Project
Some snippets of my design project for Favorite Show™. I want to explore how corporate interference can impact fandom discourse and how people perceive sudden cancellations by networks, and how they treat show runners. I want to know if this is a good premise for my project, I want to know if there's any commentary I should be adding, or if my current themes are too heavy-handed or broad for the project.
Original Content 3 - share an example of your favorite television show or movie - how does that show/movie help you work through this project and understand angry fandom?
I started watching RuPaul's Drag Race back in 2017, but I recently fell out of the fandom because I didn't have cable in my dorm to keep it up, and I wasn't motivated to watch on streaming services. I was a huge part of the fanbase. I went to DragCon in 2018 and 2019, and I optimistically waited to see if one would occur in 2020. I have gotten the chance to meet at least 20 drag queens who have competed on the show, and I even got somewhat close with one of the contestants from Canada's Drag Race season 3. (I have spent so much money on this fandom that it really hurt when I fell out of it.)
All that information aside, I have been the angry fan. I am so tired of how predictable the seasons are, and the seasons aren't as cutthroat as they used to be. In my opinion, the last intense season aired back in 2018, and the last good season aired in 2022. Since I have been the angry fan, I know how to relate to an angry fan.
It feels more and more lately that shows that have been running for a long time fall into the trap of just doing what's easy and most profitable at the expense of any real substance. They know there will be fans who are perfectly satisfied with how things are going, and anyone who tries to criticize lazy premises is dismissed as "just another hater". This also often includes older fans who remember a time where their favorite show was more engaging and less beholden to the whims of network executives.
Design Project - June 4th
Share a section of your Design Project content. What is the work of this sample? How can we help you revise?
What I have included is the basis on what "Favorite Show" is about and the reasons as to why it got cancelled.
I also included my sample posts. I only have my text planned as of right now. My question is do you think I have appropriate language for the sake of the topic in question? I tried to put myself in the shoes of both sides (an angry fan as well as the show responding), but I think I may be struggling a bit. Maybe I'm overthinking on some things? I'm not sure. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
I think you have a good foundation so far. I think you should go into more detail about the cancellation of your show and how it relates to the general quality of story elements (the cliffhangers and character developments are narratively unfulfilling, the show runners being more open about corporate influences and overreach, unsatisfactory viewership counts, etc.)
Content Post 2
explain how audiences connect with show creators and producers on social media:
Something that’s honestly so interesting about social media is how fans aren’t just talking to each other anymore, they’re actually connecting with the people who make the show. It’s not like it used to be where producers and writers were just names in the credits. Now, fans can tag them, reply to their posts, or quote tweet something they said and actually get noticed. Sometimes a writer will explain a scene, or a producer will drop a behind-the-scenes detail that completely changes how people see it. Other times, fans will straight-up call them out when something happens they don’t like. This connection makes the whole fan experience feel more real. It lets creators see in real time what the audience is feeling, whether it’s heartbreak, excitement, or total confusion. And when the creators take the time to reply or even just like a fan’s post, it means a lot. It makes fans feel heard and appreciated, and that kind of interaction only makes the community stronger. It also lets creators build trust with their audience, especially if a show deals with emotional or controversial stuff. Social media basically creates this space where everyone (fans and creators) are reacting and growing together.
Creators have always had opportunities to connect with their fans whether it was through fan letters or convention panels, and the advent of social media platforms has really expanded those capabilities. I've seen some very nice interactions between fan artists and voice actors, and it feels validating to content creators to be acknowledged by the creators of the source material they post about. That being said, I think it's important to keep the concept of "parasocialism" and the one-sided relationships some fans tend to create with popular creators. I think it's important for creators to be actively engaged with their fan bases, while maintaining healthy boundaries that improve the fandom experience as a whole.
Creators and Fans
The modern conceptions of social media have vastly expanded fan interaction with content creators, which before had been facilitated by fan mail, convention panels and the like. On twitter, people can search keywords and come up with a number of tweets concerning any piece of media, and everyone who wants to build an audience can easily share and interact with other people's posts. Content creators keep their audiences up to date through social media posts, and do interactive activities such as polls or giveaways, making interactions feel personal.
Although, in recent years more people have been made aware of the phenomenon of "parasocial" interactions, where people who are fans develop an unhealthy attachment to people who create content they enjoy. A content creator being personable and engaging with their audience can blur the boundary of "creator" and "consumer" putting negative pressure on a creator to cater to a specific person's ideas of them and their desire for interaction. It's possible for fans to have healthy relationships with the people whose content they consume, it just can't get to that point of codependency.
How Audiences Connect Within Fandom
I've lurked in many different tumblr fandom spaces for a while, so I'm familiar with the ways people on this platform cultivate new communities. I've gone to tags for a new show and seen the first few tentative posts looking for anyone else who enjoys a specific piece of media, no matter how obscure. Some fandoms stay as smaller communities, which some people prefer to prevent the rise of drama and negative discourse among individuals, while others manage to maintain positive energies when they begin to reach beyond their niche demographics into the mainstream. I've recently seen the development for a larger tumblr community for a recent indie game Look Outside, which was difficult to search for since the name is very general and broad, and just shows up in thousands of unrelated posts. In those cases, people adapt by creating specialized tags for fandom (#Look outside game)
My Favorite Show
I don't watch a lot of TV shows are movies lately since i mostly watch YouTube content, but one of my favorite shows that I've seen in recent times is The Owl House from the Disney channel. Lately, it seems that 2D animated cartoons are less likely to be green lit by big corporations where they would otherwise thrive as indie, audience supported projects. A lot of the discourse and anger I've seen among the fandom is directed towards the Disney company and its treatment of the show and the show runner herself, Dana Terrace. The Owl House depicted themes of queer representation and acceptance, mainly the romantic developments between the main characters Luz and Amity, which Disney tried multiple times to repress. I've seen similar gripes from the Steven Universe fandom over administrative efforts to repress Ruby and Sapphire's relationship, which Rebecca Sugar fought hard to include in her show, among other things.
This project has made me think more closely about how corporate overreach and micromanaging in the name of "family friendliness" can suppress creativity in the animation industry, as The Owl House was cancelled before it could fully explore its story, making the final arcs of the show feel rushed and leaving a lot of unsatisfying loose ends. it really puts into perspective how powerless people feel in the face of corporate interests getting in the way of artistic expression and freedom
Data Isn’t Just Numbers
One thing I really took away from the Data Analysis Practice is that data isn’t just numbers but a way to see what matters to your audience. At first, I thought likes were just a measure of popularity. But I learned that those numbers are part of a much bigger picture. They reflect strategy, timing, audience needs, and the design choices that either help a post connect or don’t.
That practice helped me slow down and ask better questions: What does this post do visually? Why might someone stop and click? Is the content meaningful for the space it’s in?
In Module 3, I’m carrying that mindset into my data collection.
Here is a reflection question for you: What’s one post you’ve seen recently that had high engagement but maybe didn’t have a strong strategy behind it? What made it “work” anyway?
Let’s talk
I follow an Instagram account for a cat named Gumbus, and while the content from that account may seem "low effort" to other more popular, more "professional" accounts, I think the reason it works for so many people is because of its earnestness. Its a bunch of photos and videos of a silly looking cat wearing cute outfits, nothing too flashy or high octane. Yet, you get to know the personality of Gumbus, her owner, her struggles with her health and her owner's efforts to bring awareness to her conditions. They engage with follower in a way that feels personal and genuine.
Week 3 OG Content Post 3/3
User experience analysis - who are we as users of tumblr? Practice your context/space analysis skills by providing details you've gleaned about your use of a social media space through your use of Tumblr for class.
First off, by just participating here on Tumblr we are automatically content creator. And then because of being here for class, we were already a part of the community associated with this class. Making us an active member of the community and representing it for future classes. We are also communicators, by sharing our thoughts and feelings about topics surrounding web writing and this class. Which makes most of us student users. And some of use also gained user experience of a new digital space by being on this platform. We have to navigate how to incorporate an image with our words on this space. Because each space does it differently.
I agree, being a content creator doesn't necessarily mean becoming a micro-influencer in your community, it just means being an active participant. The literal creation of content just includes talking to others and contributing to conversations, as well as just posting a picture every so often. I like using tumblr because it allows people to freely share other people's posts, and include their own thoughts and posts as add-ons that develop single ideas into complex, branching conversations that further everyone's understanding.
Check-in
I don't think I really have any questions I want to ask about the assignment this week. I think I'll check this tag and see what other people are asking, since they could probably come up with better, more specific questions than I can.
@npfannen
What I Learned from Module 2
Collecting and analyzing data in module 2 helped me identify trends in data, like the kinds of content followers of a specific account choose to engage with over others, and what those trends say about content strategy. I've had statistics classes before and they've helped me contextualize these processes better, and help me take a closer look at patterns in data, and understand how to record quantitative and qualitative data points.
How I Chose My Accounts
When choosing my Instagram accounts for the data project, I decided to go with "catfluencer" Instagram because I love watching cat videos, and I follow a lot of pet-centric accounts with high follower counts. I chose accounts that I know are well known to large audiences, and whose content I see often on my FYP
(@indoor_outdoor_kat on Instagram)
My Focus On Instagram
I decided to put my focus on Instagram because it's the app I use most often, and the easiest for me to navigate in the context of this assignment. I think analyzing Instagram is easier for me because its engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares) are organized in a way that's easy to interpret, and it's easy to navigate the accounts I follow.
Week 2 OG post 1/3
Share how you are collecting data, why?
As I went through the account I chose, here is how I collected data for this project. To start I went through the account a found posts that caught my attention and stood out to me. I wanted to find a variety of posts for a few reasons. One I wanted to get an insight into the account I researched. Two this would let me know which types of posts were popular with the account. Once I picked a post then I would go and gather the specific information and wrote in under the screenshot I took in a document. After I had gotten ten posts then I added them to a table that I created in the document. I wait to do this last to make sure I had everything that I needed.
I did a similar thing because I wanted to have some variety in my data too. I wanted to include posts that had multiple types of engagement, instead of posts with only one type (all likes, no comments/shares, etc.) I assume this account is frequented by people who are more oriented towards english and world languages majors, so this can give a good insight on what students value on this account.
Original Content Writing #2
While analyzing the Millersville English and World Languages instagram page, I figured out that there was a pattern with engagement. The posts that were recognizing students/staff received more likes/comments/shares compared to the posts that were sharing information or events. The page also received more likes/comments/shares when they posted about the cultural analysis of Taylor Swift.
I noticed that too, especially on the thesis defenses and the bookstore crawl. I think those kinds of posts resonate so strongly with users because they can look at those posts and go "hey I know that person!", and feel more inclined to like/share the post.
Trends I Noticed When Collecting Data
When I was looking at the levels of engagement on instagram, I noticed that the posts getting the most engagement in the last 4 months have been the bookstore crawl event posts, congratulatory posts for Made in Millersville participants, and other posts showing students and various other events. I think these posts resonate more with people because naming specific people or showing pictures of the events alongside text captions make them more personal to people who either attended themselves or who know someone that did.
A Piece of Data That Surprised Me
When I was looking through the instagram account for this project, I saw that the posts for the bookstore crawl event got more engagement than the content the account usually posts. I think it's because it's more casual than the other events posted about on the account, such as seminars and film viewings, and it's accessible to more people. The post showing pictures during the event also got more engagement because it showed people enjoying the event, and people who were there can comment to others who also went and share their own experiences.
