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Founded by the two incredible Mr Beast and Mark Rober!!!

For every pound donated one waste will be removed from oceans!!

Let's get our oceans to look more like this gif below rather than victims of trash dumps.

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The Impact of Social Media on Reality TV

social media has impacted reality TV is produced and consumed by catalysing a more modern method of innovated technology many prefer to spend their time on social media since it is convenient, personalised based on their searches and more accessible rather than television which has a lot of advertisements and based off of this change TV shows Television a shift in the science, technology and culture in the past even though it is still being used, benefits many families, provides entertainment, education, news and important information in the form of documentaries and even international news so the audience have the option to see what is occurring across the world rather than just having one perspective, so far shifts in the future benefiting the however under influence of social media the shows featured on TV are featured on newer innovations such as Netflix, apps that provide the news directly from News sites such as BBC, SBS, Facebook providing news from websites some not as credible as Television however it is easy access and people can have a say such as through commenting, reacting and sharing the post, YouTube premium producing documentaries which go hand in hand.

Television has a connection it functions as a visual representation such as audio or video content being spread to audience through an electronic device example TV, Radio, and etc (2021) compared to participatory media consists of blogs, user created content such as YouTube videos, podcasts as it states in it’s on name participatory media is media that is consisted by the participation of people through online forums in order to assist people to further understand and consult to further understand topics discussed in mass media also providing further information with more perspectives and viewpoints rather than being told one viewpoint which is beneficial when reality TV is influenced by social media according to (Aaditeshwar S 2008) a great example of this is the show Big Brother who are still running and profiting off viewers decided to use social media to their advantage for example, social advertisements, featuring Big Brother tweets during the live show, implementing Instagram images and tweets from fans on its site as well as allowing viewers to follow discussions on social channels during the show 24/7 on the web also interestingly they also created a more inclusive environment for their viewers by inviting selected viewers to become ‘fan reporters’ and exclusive access to the BB house and a two-way dialogue with the producers of the show.

Stott J (2014), Six ways Social media is changing the nature of TV forever. Cited 23.05.2021, Available at,

<https://econsultancy.com/six-ways-social-media-is-changing-the-nature-of-tv-forever/>.

Seth, Aaditeshwar & Ca,. (2008). Understanding participatory media using social networks. Cited 22.05.2021 Available at,

<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228705184_Understanding_participatory_ media_using_social_networks >.

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Gaslighting causing social panic and anxiety in the realm of social media!!

(Thomas P, 2021)

Social media is a very influential and impactful aspect of peoples lives. However, since every individual has their own platform, users who decide to engage or express themselves and share opinions whether twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc gets impacted by cyber bullying, with aspects such as anonymity gives the user a sense of security in regards to their identity remaining private in regards to privacy this is a great component but for those who take advantage of this privacy component inappropriately as known as cyber bullying others anonymously, trolling especially with social media guidelines of comments being reported many get away with their comments since not enough action is taken, gaslighting a term which is a type of manipulation an example of gaslighting scenario is the song It wasn’t me by Shaggy It Wasn’t Me in which a man tells his girlfriend it wasn’t him she saw having sex with another woman even though in the song he mentions his girlfriend had witnessed the cheating, he still attempts to manipulate her by making her second guess what she had seen.

Now you may be thinking why is this called Gaslighting? In fact the term Gaslighting originates from a 1944 film Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer based on the 1938 play Gas Light which portrays a husband and wife (Paula) and her husband (Gregory) manipulating Paula into believing she is insane because Paula’s late aunts priceless jewels are hidden in their house and so Gregory has the intention to drive Paula insane so she is sent to a committed asylum in order for him to search for the jewels and live his own life. (Gleeson 2018)

(Pearshapedcomics.com)

Gaslighting is an overrated term however it’s definition is underrated the term in order for it to be prevented on social media education of the term is required so users know what to look for in order to report comments, posts on social media which contain it, an example can also be Donald Trump’s use of gaslighting during the finalisation of the election prior to the results from the election manipulating his followers once Biden had been declared as the new president Trump was in denial and had continuously mentioned the results were rigged etc an incident occurred by a group of pro-Trump activists they had rampaged the white house while being armed looting and violence. (Hagman and Paul 2020)

Example of a manosphere scenario Carl is a man who literally profits from harassing me and other women: he makes over $5,000 a month on Patron for creating YouTube videos that mock, insult and discredit myself and other women online, and he is not alone. He is one of several YouTubers who profit from the cottage industry of online harassment and antifeminism; aimed towards women so directly the reporting system on social media requires improvement since comments inspired by such harassing videos can still be seen getting a lot of attention and not being taken seriously. (Marwick and Caplan 2018)

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 cited, 16.05.2021 accessed at,

<https://swinburne.instructure.com/courses/33896/files/11227441/download?wrap=1>.

Hagman G, Paul H, Gaslighting the pandemic: Donald Trump lies, manipulation and power, International Association for Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, 2020, cited 16.05.2021 accessed at,

<https://iapsp.org/gaslighting-the-pandemic-donald-trump-lies-manipulation-and-power/>.

Jessamy Gleeson, Research Officer, School of Global, Urban & Social Studies, RMIT University, 'What does Gaslighting Mean?' The Conversation, 2018 , https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-gaslighting-mean-107888 (Links to an external site.)

Thomas P, Image miphealth, cited 16.05.2021, Accessed at,

<https://www.miphealth.org.uk/web/multimediafiles/Tipster_2019-06-19_PaulThomas_cartoon.jpg>.

Image, Pearshapedcomics.com, cited 16.05.2021, accessed at,

<https://i.pinimg.com/564x/39/d2/31/39d231f698eaf767d0186a9fbce09494.jpg>.

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Social Media Influencers and the Slow fashion movement.

(Chakravarty R, 2018)

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters globally (BSR 2012), which is why some brands have been aspiring to use sustainable methods when producing stock, sustainable fashion is a slow movement since it is perceived as some sort of unattainable requirement far into the future. Whereas compared to fast fashion brands are all over social media are promoted by influencers this is due to lack of knowledge, awareness, and education since fast fashion is more accessible it is preferred by influencers to promote compared to sustainable fashion which they would be required to explain its purpose and importance. Consumers see sustainable fashion as a ‘fad’ or just another buzzword, which highlights the need to further educate consumers about the background of sustainable fashion. (Lai et al, 2017)

(Schley K, 2019)

Sustainable fashion and other terms frequently used like eco-fashion and green fashion aspire to economically financial possibility of the business model, socially a safe working environment and conditions for workers in the industry behind the scenes and environmentally reducing the harm regarding production technique and encouraging the input of upcycling and recycling (IISD 2015).

(Beekmans S, 2019)

Influencers are also the catalyst for many brands since they get sponsored and promote the products of the brand on a variety of platforms to their followers further they also get bonus deals such as a code, giveaway or a discount under the influencer’s name, these brands are known as Fast fashion brands they tend to have items at cheap prices, lower quality this means after a short period of time these clothes will become unwearable sooner than the sustainable clothing since their quality is higher however more pricey, fast fashion brands also have a high rate of producing new trends, designs since the material is cheap allows faster production and lower cost for the company this is an example of a term called mass production sales leading to more and more waste.

(Mohan S, 2020)

Adi A. #Sustainability on Twitter: Loose Ties and Green-Washing CSRIn: Grigore G., Stancu A., McQueen D. (eds) Corporate Responsibility and Digital Communities. (Palgrave: 2018) Cited, 8.05.2021 Accessed,

<https://swinburne.instructure.com/courses/33896/files/12767269/download?download_frd=1>.

Beekmans S 2019 Image, 3 key issues in the fast fashion industry, cited 9.05.2021, accessed at, https://www.sarahbeekmans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/key-issues-in-the-fast-fashion-isu-utama-di-industri-fast-fashion-3-Medium-1080x675.jpg

Chakravarty R, 2018, Image, Green humour, cited 9.05.2021, accessed at,

<http://www.greenhumour.com/2018/09/fast-fashion-and-instagram.html>.

Mohan S, 2020, Sustainable Fashion, cited 9.05.2021, accessed at, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYyCkMNUWfE >.

Schley K, 2019 Image, Cartoon Stock, cited 9.05.2021 accessed at, <https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/f/fast_fashion.asp>.

Zhen Lai, Claudia E. Henninger and Panayiota J. Alevizou ‘An Exploration of Consumers’ Perceptions Towards Sustainable Fashion – A Qualitative Study in the UK’, in Sustainability in Fashion A Cradle to Upcycle Approach, edited by Henninger, C.E., Alevizou, P., Goworek, H., Ryding, D. (Palgrave: 2017) Cited, 7.05.2021 Accessed at,

<https://swinburne.instructure.com/courses/33896/files/11227382/download?wrap=1

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Gaming is not just a hobby it is a community and it does impact our world!!

(Monereo I, 2020)

Gaming communities are under-rated whereas gaming can be beneficial “…gaming is often associated as a form of entertainment, an escape from the real world and all the problems.”(Taylor TL 2018), the appealing aspects of the gaming communities the social aspect of these communities is how people all around the world can interact together while they all have common interests in the gaming community, share advice to one another based on the games they play, tactics, make friends, activity involvement, friendship network, and this type of interaction is beneficial for social skills and confidence of individuals and games that involve interactions among players unite people together a recent example is the Covid-19 lockdown, even benefiting individuals mental health in ways like, their attention spam, memory, focus and determination on completing tasks to the best of their ability, creativity, flexibility, problem solving skills and speed.

(Oaster K, 2017)

Stay-at-home mandates and quarantines related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the gaming industries, increased participation in online gaming. Initiatives such as #PlayApartTogether that promoted the lockdown encouraging people to remain home but with a twist suggesting gaming online with other individuals to decrease the tedious period of the lockdown which affected vital humanly behaviours such as socializing with gaming which also brings about stress reduction with the aim to achieve positive outcomes during the difficult period.

gaming and livestreaming can bring about a closer gaming community since the individuals who join the streams or community have similar interests and can socialise or share ideas to make the experience more fun, Live streamers can profit off of this when the viewers or their followers can donate to them and they can even use streaming to bring awareness to issues or charities and donating the profits made by the streams to that specific organisation for example, Gamer DrLupo as known as Ben Lupo used his annual charity stream, Build Against Cancer, to raise more than $3.68 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, according to Twitch. (Forbes 2020)

However, there are disadvantages too such as cyber bullying in regard to the anonymity aspect of usernames, excessive competitiveness, violence in games can have an effect on players younger kids for example Fortnite “…one parent mentioned their child becoming more aggressive and less social as their rate of playing had increased,” (Sinha R, 2018).

While excessive playing of games for younger players can have detrimental effects in their lives since they won’t adapt to time management skills with addictive games such as Fortnite a scenario of a disruptive effects such as Fortnite had been made available on iOS which meant it was readily available on more variations of devices and requires access to Wi-Fi networks “… Unfortunately school teachers would complain about teens playing in class the game straining the Wi-Fi network and schoolwork being left aside the feature of the game becoming more available at hand had made it far more addictive and so schools either banned the game or working around it…” (Sinha R, 2018)

Problematic impacts could also include kids asking their parents for money for the premium features, encouragement of irresponsible spending, gambling, pressuring of parents, being raised with this mindset can be difficult to overcome these splurging habits into more responsible and beneficial mindset about management of money and prioritising what requires most of their attention in life rather than the addictive game with personal problems such as rage, lack of sportsmanship, short temper, overly competitive, sleep deprived, higher stress and anxiety levels.

(Aldarwish L, Pexels)

the characters appearance of some games such as Fortnite, Grand theft auto conveys an unattainable beauty standard for men and women but female characters are more prone to being sexualised according to (Morawiz B, Mastro D 2009) “…the sexualization of the character confines her and limits her power by making her sexualized body her most prominent feature… This indicates that stereotypical media portrayals of women can negatively influence women’s belief in their own ability to succeed and do well in the world.” with the exaggerated hourglass figures and sexualised clothing marketed in the game’s trailer or cover photos to intrigue their audiences and get higher ratings by objectifying women this can have a negative effect on the way females who are passionate about these games negatively about body image, self-confidence and self-worth some may even perceive these characters as idols for themselves “Every human being born on the face of this earth comes from a woman. So why is it that men, who have mothers, and sisters, and daughters, and wives, and aunts, make video games and oversexualize the women? They totally objectify them. That’s wrong… commented by Mr Bullock.” (Rochelle J, 2016)

(Rochelle J, 2016)

Reference list:

Aldarwish L, Image, Pexels accessed from; Brown L, I’m Allowing My Teenager To Stay Up All Night While School Is Closed For Corona Virus 8.04.2020 cited, 2.05.2021 accessed at,

<https://medium.com/illumination/im-allowing-my-teenager-to-stay-up-all-night-while-school-is-closed-for-corona-virus-90528a336d5c>.

Behm-Morawitz, Elizabeth & Mastro, Dana. (2009). The Effects of the Sexualization of Female Video Game Characters on Gender Stereotyping and Female Self-Concept. Sex Roles. 61. 808-823. 10.1007/s11199-009-9683-8.

<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225759530_The_Effects_of_the_Sexualization_of_Female_Video_Game_Characters_on_Gender_Stereotyping_and_Female_Self-Concept>.

Monereo I, Best practices for mobile games in multiplayer communities, Medium.com, 6.02.2020, cited 1.05.2021 accessed at,

<https://medium.com/googleplaydev/best-practices-for-mobile-games-in-multiplayer-communities-89dc23c963eb>.

Oaster K, The benefits of playing video games, Trianglejump, 10.09.2017, cited, 1.05.2021, accessed at,

<https://trianglejump.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/the-benefits-of-playing-video-games/>.

Rochelle J, “Miss Representation:” Women in Gaming, School News, 10.10.2016, cited 29.04.2021 accessed at,

<https://heritageherald.com/2016/10/10/miss-representation-women-in-gaming/>.

http://techu4ria.com/scientific-studies-show-why-everyone-should-play-video-games/

Strub C, $83M+ Raised and Counting In 2020: Are Twitch Streamers the New Philanthropists?”, Forbes, 18.12.2020, cited accessed at 30.04.2021

<https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisstrub/2020/12/18/83m-raised-and-counting-in-2020-are-twitch-streamers-the-new-philanthropists/?sh=6ff159132e52>.

Sinha R, 15 biggest Fortnite controversies that shocked players (maybe) Gaming Bolt 27.09.2018 cited 29.04.2021, accessed at,

<https://gamingbolt.com/15-biggest-fortnite-controversies-that-shocked-players-maybe >.

Taylor, TL 2018, ‘Broadcasting ourselves’ (chapter 1), in Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, Princeton University Press, pp.1-23, cited 29.04.2021 accessed at,

<https://swinburne.instructure.com/courses/33896/files/11227394/download?wrap=1>.

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The detrimental impact of filters and photoshop on causing the standard of beauty to be so unattainable!

"...Not only do we critique our bodies in mirrors, but now we can digitise our dysmorphia by virtually modifying what we dislike..." (Dibley I, 2016) referring to filters created on social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat contain filters which can completely deform facial proportions to unattainable standards however there are other apps such as photoshop, face-tune including many other photo editing apps which allows the user to modify their proportions.

The idealised standard of beauty is accessible anywhere including the general media such as the fashion industry the front cover of magazines or high-profile editorials have models go on major diets, workout and follow a strict program however it is clearly not enough since the photographs taken are still analysed, dissected and heavily edited to the extent where at times the models seem almost unrecognisable causing people to complain and question their own natural beauty and consider using those enhancing filters, or editing apps for their own photos, example is Khloe Kardashian's unedited photo being posted without her permission the public had been shocked however positively since it was a candid image she had received a lot of positive feedback regarding her natural beauty however some left hate since they realised how manipulative her posts convey her compared to real life her vulnerability was at such a level that she posted a few paragraphs explaining herself and the unattainable beauty standard which she is also a part of by continuously manipulating her followers with her posts. This video is a great representation of the unattainable standard of beauty and what is shown to the public from the beauty industries constantly altering the vision of what is beautiful but what is hidden is the filters and photoshop used before the public see the image and the effect it has on this girl who experiences body dysmorphia from constantly being surrounded by all the posts, media and commercials. 

Influencers using filters that completely alter their face or body to an unattainable standard of beauty and constantly for each single post behind the scene: editing, filtering and perfecting all their natural flaws, the end result of all that work done on the image is portrayed for their followers on social media manipulating their followers to desire in order to replicate what that influencer does in order to look like them also is a successful benefit for businesses in the beauty industry like businesses producing shapewear, cosmetic surgeons, commercials hair, makeup, body image, and fashion which in the influencers posts they are sponsored by these industries to sell their image to promote the brands product and encourage their followers to purchase in order to look like them. for example, the Kardashians, even though they were naturally curvy however they have had numerous works done to create a heavily hourglass figure extenuating further and masking that work done by advertising waist trainers, shape wear even though these products are made for those who want to alter their shape the result will not replicate the filtered posts and the surgical work done on The Kardashians behind the scenes.

(Adkins A, 2018)

Reference List:

Papaleo J, the medium.com, Beauty is in the hands of the plastic surgeon, 28.03.2018 cited 23.04.2021,

<https://medium.com/fhsaplang/beauty-is-in-the-hands-of-the-plastic-surgeon-b7fd2e03cf5a>.

Le E, Image; Snapchat Dysmorphia, Exo, 10,08,2018, cited 23.04.2021, accessed at.

<https://www.exoplatform.com/blog/2018/08/10/snapchat-dysmorphia-when-snapchat-filters-encourage-cosmetic-surgery/>.

Two images; Adkins A, The Lexington line, how social media contributes to body dysmorphic behaviours 9.05.2018 cited 23.04.2021.

https://www.thelexingtonline.com/blog/2018/5/7/how-social-media-contributes-to-body-dysmorphic-behaviors

Donia Art Therapy; Cartoon Movie- plastic surgery, 17.03.2019, cited 22.04.2020,

<https://youtu.be/0uu3RAz9GWs>.

Coy-Dibley, I. (July 2016). “Digitised Dysmorphia” of the Female Body: The Re/Disfigurement of the Image

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The impact of the unattainable beauty standards set by social media influencers on followers

(Dorfman et al, 2018) conducted a study which they searched and found 21 Instagram plastic surgery related hashtags the reason why they conducted the study based on three questions firstly what plastic surgery related content is being posted to Instagram, who is posting this content end what specific hashtags are they using these questions critical to their study since they found Instagram hashtags related to plastic surgery at total of 1, 789, 270 posts were found which contained 21 hashtags which way related to plastic surgery examples of the hashtags include Brazilian butt lift, breast augmentation, Boob jobs and a few others in summary the majority of the posts which contain the plastic surgery hashtags were self-promoted and not posted by non-plastic surgeons, compared to 32.9% being posted by board certified plastic surgeons intended for educational purposes.

“… recent data conveys patients are considering aesthetic surgery turn improve the appearance on Instagram and other social media…” according to (Dorfman et al, 2018) this quote conveys The major impact of social media on beauty standards and the extent individuals will go in order to fit that beauty standard, for example undergoing surgery or other cosmetic body modification procedures inspired by social media influencers for example the Kardashians a family who have been famous on social media for years they are considered as having the ideal hourglass figure and they promote the unattainable standards of beauty and make money off of doing this however with the help of cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery which is a topic where celebrities are not very public about due to criticism by the public or judgement the issue is celebrities are wealthy and get their procedures done by top surgeons however not everyone is that wealthy and so some go to non-certified surgeons who are cheap and have no medical experience, this is extremely dangerous to the individual undergoing this “treatment” and the result will not be the same as the inspiration once the side effects start showing.

Specifically, Instagram is a great example for the topic of body modification promotion since it is a platform based on the pictures the user posts and it can be a very criticizing and judgmental space compared to Tumblr the user has the power of privacy and it is a space where they can personalize their account In order to match their personalities whereas Instagram you can just change your profile picture, Tumblr pictures can be a focus however there are more options such as blogs and hashtags are more convenient on Tumblr since they effect the users feed unlike Instagram where users are required to search for hashtags themselves and decide to follow them, Tumblr is a space to communicate however Instagram influencers use pictures to communicate and essentially the filters used by them or their hidden surgeries or cosmetic procedures are unattainable to a lot of their users including many young users and so this has detrimental effects on users including the influencers since they have set their standard where it has no ending since no one is perfect effects include, low self-esteem, constant desire for tweaks and change since there will never be a final satisfaction and jealousy or even hate one example of this is Khloe Kardashians “leaked” un edited image of her in a swimsuit she looked completely different to her highly edited usual posts her PR team had the photo taken down they even went to the extent allegedly threatened legal action in order to get the image removed.

Dorfman R, Mahmood E, Schierle C, Vaca E, Fine N, ‘Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing’, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 38, Issue 3, March 2018, pp 332–338cited 17.04.2021

< https://swinburne.instructure.com/courses/33896/files/11227387/download?wrap=1>.

Victorian Government, Health Minister, 'Protecting Victorians From Dodgy Cosmetic Surgery' (2019) cited 17.04.2021,

< https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/protecting-victorians-from-dodgy-cosmetic-surgery/>

Verrastro, Valeria & Fontanesi, Lilybeth & Liga, Francesca & Cuzzocrea, Francesca & Gugliandolo, Maria. (2020). Fear the Instagram: beauty stereotypes, body image and Instagram use in a sample of male and female adolescents. Qwerty. Open and Interdisciplinary Journal of Technology, Culture and Education. Online first. 10.30557/QW000021.

<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341455300_Fear_the_Instagram_beauty_stereotypes_body_image_and_Instagram_use_in_a_sample_of_male_and_female_adolescents/citation/download>

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The influence Social Media has in terms of Digital Citizenship, Hashtag Publics, Political Engagement and Activism.

To keep the new digitally advance generation engaged with politics as social media has had such a big impact on regular individuals not only politicians to have their own platforms and share their own opinions political systems have also taken the turn into the digital citizenship age.

” …Established political organisations are increasingly turning to digital forms of citizen engagement to re-engage citizens in the political process.” (Vromen, 2017) an example of this can be America the Donald Trump and Joe Biden presidential campaigns Instagram and Twitter contained many posts by influencers and the two rival candidates themselves posting to vote, with the help of influencers making Tik Toks, short posts and many other creative ways to encourage their followers to vote or even in general Donald Trump would shamelessly tweet anything on his mind his views and opinions however on the other hand his twitter did get deleted since he had still been mentioning the whole political vote had been rigged and his Instagram comments are filled with hate and individuals who do not choose to accept Biden’s win and still praise Trump another example of a terrible effect Trumps Twitter platform had on a few of his arrogant looter followers was the White House situation as they began looting and starting fires, shots being fired excruciating event due to being narrow minded and not accepting reality.

Platforms such as Change.org also give people a stronger voice to sign petitions also contains many successful petitions with thousands or millions of signatures which had been approved by the government and action had been taken by the government.

Social media can also be a disadvantage when consulting on topics such a politics which are very controversial since a lot of people have strong beliefs and opinions individuals discussing this can face judgement and hate if they're opinion is against the majority and so this creates a disunited environment.

Another benefit of using social media to engage in politics or promote a point of view? Social media is beneficial regarding the ability to engage with others in discussion and being able to connect with people from all around the world, an example of other countries providing social support to others is the Black Lives Matter protests in America and another example the protests in Australia for Indigenous Australians for mistreatment there are many posts on social media in support and hashtags going around providing information to educate people who may not be informed, the digital citizen age is a very influential and has had its impact and is still continuing and politicians are using it for their advantage as well.

Enli, G 2017, 'Twitter as an arena for the authentic outsider: Exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 presidential election 📷 download', European Journal of Communication, vol 32, no 1 pp 50-61

2017: The year people took back politics, GetUp! Accessed 18 March 2018 https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/general/general_article.jsp?articleId=7364

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Digital Communities Blog ~ Dorsa

How does Tumblr function as a digital community?

 Tumblr is one of many platforms on social media and operates as a space created for people across the world to express opinions, beliefs through posts such as blogs, images, Gifs and very aesthetic based according to Cho (2015) Tumblr’s digital community is a highly creative one user favour the use of images to express themselves they also have a unifying option to re-blog one another’s content makes it a friendly and creative digital community. Unlike other social media platforms Tumblr functions as a digital community with a range of unique differences beneficial for its users one of its main aspects is privacy respecting user’s privacy Tumblr accounts are anonymous according to Keller 2019.

 Social privacy is another major aspect to being active on social media and Tumblr functions as a digital community which respects this component according to Reeve’s Journal titled The Secret Lives of Tumblr Teens explains features Tumblr contains which makes it’s anonymity more successful compared to other apps “…switching back and forth between fashion and comedy. She tried out new names, new personas, changing her URL a few times.” (Reeve 2016) These options provide security and support this other Tumblr user’s quote “you aren’t even you. On Tumblr, you can revel in anonymity, say whatever you want without fear of it going on your permanent record.”  (Reeve 2016)

 Unfortunately digital communities are not always openminded in some cases topics are considered controversial such as Feminism, sexuality, gender identity including many others, users who decide to engage or express themselves in regards to controversial topics their twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc gets impacted by cyber bullying, cancel culture, the fear of hate and even judgment challenging the component of freedom of speech among digital communities, a scenario of this fear of expression by a 14-year-old girl named Dara who had previously experienced an account of sexism according to journal titled “Oh She’s a Tumblr Feminist” Keller 2019 unfortunately the toxic environment of twitter made Dara avoid expressing her story due to the fear of being digitally attacked according to her hypothesis of twitter users reactions “…don’t want to do it to have about three or four guys replying you’re a liar, you’re a whore… I’d rather just not say anything,” so instead she decided to post on Tumblr due to its practice of anonymity.

 Dara commented on her experience from posting her story on Tumblr “…Yeah it feels a lot safer.” Dara’s perspective of Tumblr’s digital community a space of safety and comfort however Dara is not alone with this perspective on Tumblr. Keller’s journal mentions a conducted focus group of several girls located in London had collectively decided that Tumblr was the easiest digital environment regarding expressing feminism as young people mainly due to its anonymity. (Keller 2019)

 Digital feminism on Tumblr operates a private and feminist friendly space which encourages women to reflect and understand that these issues should not be normalised bringing optimism by empowering one another to speak up and communicate with individuals who relate to their stories and experiences without judgement to bring awareness to the issues faced by women.

 Tumblr functions as a digital community by providing a safe, aesthetically pleasing, openminded with the benefit of remaining anonymous and user’s protection their personal information while freely expressing themselves through blogs, images and connecting with one another in re blogging without the fear of being discriminated based on their personal belief making it an enjoyable and satisfying digital community.  

 References,

 Reeve, E, 2019, The Secret Lives of Tumblr Teens, Viewed 25 March 2021,

<https://newrepublic.com/article/129002/secret-lives-tumblr-teens>

 Keller, J, 2019, “Oh, She’s a Tumblr Feminist”: Exploring the Platform Vernacular of Girls’ Social Media Feminisms, Sage Publications, pp.1-10,

<https://swinburne.instructure.com/courses/33896/files/11227380/download?wrap=1>