i think one of the biggest problems with tumblr is that it’s a blogging platform (personal) which people treat as a forum (public) and there is zero boundary between these two functions. as a result you get people readily and preparedly engaging in public debate with other people who are essentially talking to themselves.
it’s like sitting in your locked bedroom writing in your diary, only at any moment jeremy paxman can pop out and question you on international television
Shoutout to that dumbass that wandered into my inbox when I was talking about my body image issues.
I see a lot of people criticizing this perspective by saying it’s Obviously Public when we post content here and that Tumblr is Social Media first, but like.
Livejournal was public, Xanga was public, most traditional blog platforms are public and allow for comment but all commentary remains on the blogger’s page, and the blogger can control how the conversation goes.
On Tumblr you post a personal blog and someone reposts it and it’s on THEIR page, the commentary and your OP is now elsewhere and in their dominion, and a ton of audiences you never expected to see it are suddenly able to also take control of the narrative and have it on their own pages.
Reblogging changes the way that content is managed and effectively owned compared to the older models, and even Facebook (where you can control the audience and delete comments with great ease).
Tumblr feels cozy to folks with 20 followers but the second you tag something it’s the Wild West.
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Thoughtfulfangirling 