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When it comes to learning about the election, social media is the clear favorite among 18 to 29-year-olds, about a third (35%) of whom name a social networking site as their most helpful source type for learning about the presidential election in the past week.

Many Millennials turn to social media for news about the 2016 presidential campaign

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Don’t [do social entrepreneurship abroad] because you’ve fallen in love with solvability. Go because you’ve fallen in love with complexity.

The Reductive Seduction of Other People’s Problems by Courtney Martin

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It’s nearly the new year, Tumblr! Don’t just ring it in. Post it Forward.

Post It Forward is simple: You share a positive message that helped you through a tough time. Then tag it #postitforward so that Tumblr can find it. And spread it. And send good vibes rippling around the world.

Whatever your story, someone out there needs to hear it—especially this time of year. You can make a video, like Vice President Joe Biden did. Make a sign and take a selfie using the Post It Forward GIF Maker. Make some art. Write your heart out. Sing if you’re good at that. Or even if you aren’t. It’s your story, and you can post it however you want to.

Be vocal. Share your story. Post It Forward.

And have a beautiful New Year, Tumblr.

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2015 in Review: The White House’s Year in GIFs

2015 is almost over, so we’re taking a look a back at our year on Tumblr.

This year, the White House Tumblr reached more than 269,000 followers. We took questions from the public on how we’re working to #ActOnClimate, and on banning conversion therapy for minors. We even launched a new Tumblr dedicated to the letters President Obama receives from across the country every day.

We use Tumblr because we’re always looking for new ways to engage with the American people, and one of the best — and most fun — ways we’ve found to engage on Tumblr is through making GIFs.

So without further ado, here are our top 10 GIF moments on the White House Tumblr this year:

1. When President Obama announced his plan to make community college free for everybody who’s willing to work for it:

Keep reading

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Holiday Message: Start a dialogue about mental health.

We are each other’s greatest resource.

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Great to have more data showing what Tumblr activists have long known to be true.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Tumblr’s 2015 Year in Review.

Once again, you have made the internet’s greatest stuff. For the third year in a row, we want to show it off to the world.

Today, and every day after until the new year, @yearinreview will publish dozens of lists that are populated with hundreds of Tumblrs and a literal bajillion posts. Don’t count, just trust us.

What a treat. You did it! And then we sorted it! We all did it together!

Want to stay on top of it? Follow @yearinreview to have all of these beautiful things placed, delightfully and tastefully, right in your dashboard. Neat!

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Tomorrow at our first ever technology and politics conference, Leslie Sanchez will moderate an important panel, “The Revolution Will be Mobilized: Race, Ethnicity, and Social Media” featuring Jamal Simmons, co-founder of CRVIII, Morgan DeBaun, founder of Blavity, and Diane Guerrero (yes, from Jane the Virgin and Orange is the New Black).

We want to hear from you. What one question would you ask about how diverse communities are using social media to engage politically?

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You asked for it. Here it comes. Messaging. Real, threaded, instant messaging. It’s in the latest Android and iOS apps, and on the web.

Yep: Now you can talk to a Tumblr.

This is a big launch, and it’s going to take a few weeks to get it out to everyone (we need to make sure our servers can handle the weight of your discourse). If you don’t have it now, you’ll have it soon.

Q: So, how can I tell if I have messaging?

A: Great question. If you see this smiley balloon hanging out on your screen…

…you’ve got messaging. If you message someone, they’ll get messaging. Eventually, messaging will cover the earth.

Q: What if I have other Q’s? What if I have A’s, even?

A: Well dang, we’d love to hear any feedback or questions you have about this thing. What works well? What kind of doesn’t? What kind of features do you want to see? Those are some of the Q’s that could use your A’s. Our support team is listening (and they’ve already put together an FAQ).  

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GIF IT UP 2015 entry by Anneliese Dehner in Portland, Oregon. Source material courtesy the National Archives and Records Administration (1, 2). Anneliese writes: 

This World War II poster jumped out at me right away. I wanted to try to put a moving image in the window pane, like Segawa Atsuki’s super cool ukiyo-e GIFs. My friend suggested an using image of peace, like blooming flowers. So I gave it a shot. However the flower ended up looking a little more like a bomb exploding.

This GIF is made available under a CC-BY-SA 3.0 License.

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“I ask young queer people how they learned the labels they describe themselves with,” says [26-year Harvard administrator Robyn] Ochs, “and Tumblr is the No. 1 answer.” The social-media platform has spawned a million microcommunities worldwide, including Queer Muslims, Queers With Disabilities, and Trans Jewry. Jack Halberstam, a 53-year-old self-identified “trans butch” professor of gender studies at USC, specifically cites Judith Butler’s 1990 book, Gender Trouble, the gender-theory bible for campus queers. Quotes from it…have become Tumblr bait — perhaps the world’s least likely viral content.

one major reason why linguistically complicated gender identities are increasingly popular among college students: Tumblr (via @nymag)

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If you or someone you know are overwhelmed by sadness or anxiety, visit loveislouder.com/resources for information on reaching out for support.

Thanks to @loveislouderofficial and @postitforward for their great campaign.

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Nice new thing for the web: You can have your post pages show related posts from the rest of your Tumblr. Yes, give passers-by a sense of your whole oeuvre from a single post.

Need an example? Okay, okay. Assuming you’re on the web right now, check out this old staff post. See?

If you’re using the default theme (Optica), it’ll be on by default. If it bugs you, you can turn off it in your theme customization panel.

And if you enjoy digging around in code and want to add this function to whatever theme you’re currently using, check out the theme docs.

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Calling all New York City friends! We’re excited to invite you to a very special screening and Q&A event, courtesy of the good people at Tumblr, for A Brave Heart Film TOMORROW at 3:30PM. Meet Lizzie and Director & Producer Sara Bordo! We hope to see you there!! RSVP here: http://bit.ly/1FYC1UJ

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Hey Tumblr! Happy National Voter Registration Day! Follow that link and go register already. It’s the easiest and most politically empowering thing you’ll do all day. 

“But it’s not even an election year, staff…”

Every year is an election year! Besides the primaries in early 2016, there are important local and municipal ballots that need your penmarks and punches this November. Don’t miss your chance to make a difference. Register today.  

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Happy Constitution Day! Let’s all take a moment to celebrate citizenship and the dreams of those striving to earn it.

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In memory of Amelia Boynton Robinson

The second time Amelia Boynton Robinson crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, she was holding hands with Barack Obama, the first Black president of the United States.‎

Photo credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

That’s in stark contrast to the way the world met Amelia. As one of the original architects of the Voting Rights movement, she headed up the march from Selma when state troopers descended on protesters with tear gas and clubs. A photograph of Amelia unconscious in the arms of a fellow protestor cemented the nation’s need for civil rights.

We lost Amelia last week. She lived long enough to see the great strides America made toward integration and equality. But the work that Amelia and countless others have started is not yet finished. Everyday, we must continue the fight toward equality.

Amelia Boynton Robinson believed that progress was possible within her lifetime. Let knowledge of her life and bravery propel us to make our own great changes.