The internet can be a really wonderful place
It’s changed the way we learn and research, the way we connect with others, and the way we express ourselves in positive, powerful ways. But it’s no secret that these improvements also present us with unique challenges. We can learn new things faster, but sometimes we have to sort through piles of misinformation while we do—and it’s not always easy to detect. We’re able to connect with people we never would have met otherwise thanks to social media, but it can encourage addictive behavior in the apps that keep us connected. We’re able to express ourselves more easily, but we sometimes overshare in ways detrimental to our careers, reputation, and mental health.
We—as in Tumblr the company—are not immune to these challenges. You know it. We know it. And we hear you. We recognize that toxicity and negativity happen everywhere online, even on Tumblr. We are constantly striving to learn and utilize new ways to create a safe place for our communities. Opening up this dialogue to anyone who wants to join is the first step we’re taking in 2020 to foster a more positive, collaborative experience. Over the next year, we’ll be rolling out improvements and updates to our platform that improves your experience.
We can all agree that these challenges exist, but let’s look out for each other; Teach other people and ourselves how to keep the wonderful parts of the internet in view while working through the troublesome bits. These issues are best addressed through honest, open dialogue.
That’s why we’ve partnered with the UK non-profit, Ditch the Label (@ditchthelabel), to help spread some internet safety awareness as well as facilitate some much-needed conversation between yourselves—the community on Tumblr.
We’re calling it World Wide What
At the heart of this campaign is, well, you. We want to hear from you. Over the next month we’ll focus on six different topics with accompanying videos for discussion. Each one will feature a different real-world problem you’ve most likely faced as an Extremely Online Person (yeah, we see you) and what you can do to mitigate those issues. They’re live right now:
“Fake News, Skewed Views”
“Don’t @ Me” (Cyberbullying)
“Felt Cute Might Delete Later”
“A Safer Internet: Moderation”
Some posts will be accompanied by Answer Times with guests that can speak knowledgeably about one or more of the topics we’re focusing on. We’re looking at:
1/8 – @medialiteracyed taking questions about fake news
1/15 – @ditchthelabel opening up their ask box to discuss cyberbullying
1/22 – Jameela Jamil, founder of I Weigh, to answer questions about the effects of inauthentic social media personalities
TBD – Someone from the leadership team here at Tumblr to talk about user safety
One of the more beautiful qualities of the Tumblr community is that so many of you spare the time and space to look out for others. If you have someone in your life that you think could use a little guiding light to use social media in a safer way for their mental or physical health, this might be a good resource to send them.
You can stay tuned for more updates on World Wide What, including when our Answer Times go live, by following this blog. If you want to be notified the moment a post from us goes live, tap or click the silhouette at the top of our page and select “Get notifications.”
In the meantime, we want to hear from you. What kind of impact has social media had on your mental health? If you want to start a conversation with the community, reblog this post or make a new one and tag it so others can easily find it.
