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[W10: Last Night on TikTok: Like Puppets on a String]
âI may win on the roundabout Then I'll lose on the swings In or out, there is never a doubt Just who's pulling the stringsâ _Puppet on a string - Sandie Shaw_
Digital spaces sell us the dream of community, but letâs not kid ourselvesâsocial media isnât a utopia; itâs a battlefield. Conflict isnât a bug; itâs a feature. Harassment? Profitable engagement. Moderation? A joke. Rules? They bend for the rich, and snap for the rest. Governance is a power play, and weâre just the pawnsâoutraged, entertained, and utterly powerless. Think you have control? Thatâs adorable. Now, keep dancing, puppet.
1. All of Us Are Dead: Spoiler - It Was Never About âUsâ
_ A Clown Show in Three Acts
Ah, the never-ending TikTok ban sagaâback again, like the reboot nobody asked for, or a toxic ex swearing theyâve changed.
The government âthreatensâ to shut it down (again), TikTok plays the helpless victim who screams about free speech, influencers clutch their ring lights in despair, and users? Theyâre treating this like the season finale of Twilight - a joke. High drama, no stakes. But hereâs the real twistâit isnât about protecting your data; it was never about protecting YOU.
If governments actually cared about your data, they wouldnât be singling out TikTok while letting Meta, Google, and basically every other tech giant vacuum up your personal info like a Dyson on steroids (yet, no oneâs banning them).Â
This is a geopolitical chess matchâpower-hungry governments using "security concerns" to flex âbeing caring to online usersâ, meanwhile, TikTok isnât some underdog fighting for free speechâitâs a billion-dollar empire using this âbanâ drama and chaos as free marketing with great publicity.
And influencers? Please. Their loyalty isnât to TikTokâitâs to views. A fight for digital rights? More like a power struggle wrapped in a PR stuntâand we all fell for it.
Privacy? Security? Eghhh! (buzzing sound) Itâs about control.
_Who Runs Social Media? Not YouâTHATâS for Sure.
Social media was supposed to be the great equalizer, a space acting as a global town square where every voice mattered. But letâs stop kidding ourselvesâusers donât run these platforms. Governments and corporations do.
đ Governments want controlâbans, regulations, data lawsâbut only when it benefits them. đ Tech CEOs pretend to enforce âcommunity guidelinesâ on platforms, but their real priority? Ad revenue. đ° Money over morals all day every day, so look alive people! (Suck it up, they mean) đ Users? We think we have power, but in reality, weâre just unpaid content creators feeding the machine. Weâre the audienceâŠuntil we become the product.
Social media âgovernanceâ is a rigged system where the rules change depending on whoâs in power. The only consistent law? Engagement = money.
Online harassment is so baked into digital spaces that people donât even bother fighting it.
As Haslop, OâRourke and Southern (2021) point out, itâs become âthe normââjust another part of being online.
And thatâs exactly how platforms like it. Less effort on moderation, more engagement from outrage. Profits go up, but user safety? Who cares?
2. The Chaotic Clout Chase of the Mediocre: Just How Desperate Are They?
_Clout-Chasing Carnage
When influencers thought TikTok was on its deathbed, they went FERAL, always in full survival mode.Â
I mean, letâs not pretend influencer drama is just âorganic chaos.â Itâs a gameâone thatâs strategically played.
Marwick and Caplan (2018) argue that harassment is often âcoordinated and organized,â and guess what? So are these influencer meltdowns.
â
Fake scandals. â
Over-the-top meltdowns. â
Conveniently timed âbrand exposures.
Suddenly, everyone had a crisis to capitalize on.
_The Algorithmâs Freak Show
But letâs zoom out: this wasnât just influencer nonsense. This was proof that social media âgovernanceâ is broken. While real issues like misinformation and privacy violations get ignored, the algorithm prioritizes drama, hysteria, and chaosâbecause it keeps us watching.Â
And the worst part? We enable it. We reward the most toxic behavior with views. We rage-comment, hate-watch, and click âjust to see whatâs happening.â Every time we think weâre above it, we prove weâre just as hooked as the rest.
Yes, thatâs the harsh truth: While creators scramble to survive algorithm shifts, the real decision-makers (platform CEOs, investors, politicians) sit back and profit off our panic.
3. Doxing, Drama, and the Rules? Oh, You Thought There Were Rules?
_Rules for Thee, but Not for Me
Online harassment? Donât act like itâs a one-way street. Yeah, itâs not just a âtoxic masculinityâ thing like people love to claim.
In reality, men actually report experiencing it at slightly higher rates than women, with 43% of men and 38% of women saying theyâve faced some form of it (Atske 2021).
Power imbalances exist everywhere online, and women? Yeah, they can be just as vicious. Just look at the SSSniperWolf doxing messâtextbook proof that social media âgovernanceâ is a total joke.
đȘ Jacksfilms calls out lazy content. đ SSSniperWolf retaliates by literally posting his home address. đš And YouTube? They hesitate. Drags its feet on punishing her, because⊠money.
If you did this? Instant ban. But when a high-earning creator does it?Â
The âinvestigationâ suddenly takes weeks. The rules suddenly become âcomplicated.âÂ
The message is clear: The bigger your platform, the fewer consequences you face.
đ Rules existâbut only for small creators.
This isnât just favoritism, heck, the unfairness is the least on the worry list. This is purely dangerous. If ârulesâ can be bent for profit, what happens when real harm is done? Who decides which threats are taken seriously and which ones get buried under a PR statement?
Spoiler: Not you.
_âYouâre a Monster.â Laughs. Try Looking in the Mirror.
This is where it stings: The real villain isnât just governments, influencers, or tech CEOs. Itâs us.
We reward bad behavior with clicks. We complain about toxicity but canât look away. We outrageously demand accountability from regulation failures, yet never leave the platforms that exploit us.
We built this beast. Now, weâre stuck, waiting for the fate of being eaten alive.
Oh, You Thought You Could Win? Cute.
Social media should be a fair space where digital citizens have rights, where governance protects users, and where tech giants are held accountable. Instead?
đą Protecting us? No! Governments use it to push their own agendas - They made the rules. đ°Keeping us safe? Is that even a question? Platforms profit off our addiction and outrage. đ Users get the illusion of controlâbut never the power - We just watch.
Social media isnât failing usâitâs doing EXACTLY what it was built to do.
This was never a democracy. Itâs a dictatorship run by algorithmsâand weâre just the fuel keeping the fire burning.
Welcome to the Hunger Games, darling. And spoiler alert? Weâre not the winners. Weâre the game pieces.
You wanna stop being a game piece? Start questioning the rules. Stop feeding the machine just because itâs the ONLY game in town.
References:
Atske, S 2021, âThe State of Online Harassmentâ, Pew Research Center, viewed 21 March 2025, .
Haslop, C, OâRourke, F & Southern, R 2021, â#NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online cultureâ, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1418â1438.
Marwick, AE & Caplan, R 2018, âDrinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassmentâ, Feminist Media Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 543â559, viewed .
#DigitalDictatorship#OutrageEconomy#WhoMakesTheRules#IllusionOfControl#StopFeedingTheMachine#GamePiecesNotWinners#MDA20009
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[W9: Simping Ainât Free: Thanks for the Dono, Bro! â The Price of Buying Attention and Online Validation]
Gaming hasnât just evolvedâitâs a whole culture, an economy, and for some, even a full-time career. Itâs an ecosystem where influence, money, and power shape who gets ahead.
Keogh (2020) explains, video game culture isnât just an industry; itâs a structured economy, where everyoneâfrom streamers to devs to fansâplays a role in reinforcing the system. And that system? Itâs bigger than ever. From nostalgic arcade battles to Twitch streams and esports competitions with thousands watching, gaming has exploded into a global phenomenon.
1. Gaming: The Circus Where the Grind Never Ends and the Drama Always Trends đźâš
_Gamers, Creators, Cult Leaders
Players arenât just players; theyâre content creators, esports champions, and Discord community leaders. Whether youâre modding Skyrim, debating meta-strategies on Reddit, or dropping donations on YouTube Gaming, the lines between player, fan, and creator are blurrier than ever, with communities rising (and rioting) overnight.
In this world, gaming isnât just a hobbyâitâs a constantly evolving ecosystem where pixels meet passion, and the game never truly ends.
(AKA: Thanks for Robbing Me, You Emotional Capitalist!)
_From Players to Payers
Gaming used to mean grabbing a controller, button-mashing, trash-talking your friend, and screaming over a Mario Kart blue shell. Now? Itâs paying $5.99 a month so a stranger might read your name out loud.
Twitch and YouTube Gaming make us feel like weâre part of a community. But are we? Or are we just funding someone elseâs career in exchange for scraps of attention?
2. Insert Coin for Friendship: Pay to Win, Pay for...Clout?!
_Twitch or Treat: When Gaming Meets Performance Art
Thereâs a reason Twitch chat feels so addictive.Â
Live streaming isnât just gaming anymoreâitâs a full-blown performance.
YouTube lets gamers upload content, but Twitch turned gaming into live theater - taking things to the next level by making interaction part of the show (Taylor, 2018).
Viewers arenât just watching; theyâre actively feeding into the entertainment loop - they want the personal connection, hoping their name gets read out, their message gets noticed, or their dono gets a reaction. And that feeling? Itâs EXACTLY what keeps people coming back.
_Parasocial Pyramids: Fans, Funds, and Fake Friendships
But letâs be real:
If you stop donating, does that âconnectionâ even exist?Â
Just ask Sykkuno. When he moved from Twitch to YouTube, his fans LOST their minds. Some shamed him. Some even called it a betrayalâas if he owed them something just because they had watched and donated.
(Ugh, when delulu is NOT the solulu)
The illusion of connection keeps fans hooked (*cough, parasocial relationship, cough*), but make no mistakeâitâs a pay-to-win system; the more you give, the higher you climb in this unspoken hierarchy. And thatâs the issue:
These arenât real friendships. Theyâre transactional.Â
âŠ
You guys can hate Sykkuno all you want. But if you think your fave is getting all that cash, think again đ. Check this out:
(Tachat Igityan 2022)
Why are yâall hating on the creator when the platform takes a huge cut anyway?
3. Lonely and Loaded: Your Faves Love You! (For a Fee) â The Business of Being a Cash Cow
_Superchats and Simp Taxes: Not a Fandom, Just a FinDom
ïżœïżœïżœïżœ Superchats, subscriptions, dono goalsâtheyâre not just ways to support a creator. Theyâre pay-to-play mechanics in the game of being noticed.
And hereâs where it gets even messier:
â
If you canât afford to donate, youâre just another lurker. đ° If you can, the more you give, the more visible you become. đ The more you pay, the more you matter. (Might even get a personal thank-you, maybe even a DM)
Take Pokimaneâwhen she tried to keep her dating life private, some of her fans acted like she owed them full transparency just because they had supported her for years.
Or look at Ludwig. One fan spent $10,000 on donations just to get noticed. Thatâs a semester of collegeâfor one âThanks for the dono, bro.â
At some point, it stops being entertainment and starts feeling like emotional gambling...
_Your Fave Needs TherapyâAnd So Do You: Healing Bestiesâą
Fans arenât just fans anymore. Theyâre unpaid laborâmoderators, promoters, emotional support on demand.
Mods work for free, banning trolls, enforcing rules, and protecting a brand they donât own.
Stans defend streamers online, dogpiling on critics as if itâs their personal responsibility.
Long-time viewers feel entitled to access, expecting personal attention after years of financial support.
And when that illusion breaks? It gets ugly.
đA streamer takes a break? Fans feel abandoned. đĄ A streamer moves platforms? Fans call it betrayal. đ« A streamer sets boundaries? Suddenly, theyâre âungratefulâ for their community.
And on the other side? Streamers can never log off.
âłIf they stop streaming, they lose subs. đIf they set boundaries, they get backlash. đIf they ignore the constant demand for content, they risk becoming irrelevant.
Valkyrae learned this the HARD way. When she got caught in the RFLCT skincare controversy, her audience expected her to perform damage control for themâlike she was personally responsible for their feelings about it.
The moment a streamer stops being the person fans want them to be, the love turns into hate.
And the worst part? Whether itâs fans demanding more or streamers feeling trapped, the platforms are the only ones truly winning. Twitch, YouTube, and Discord profit from the endless cycle of emotional laborâand they donât have to lift a finger.
Fans arenât just payingâtheyâre working for free. Just Cold. Hard. Digital Labors.
From Joystick to Wallet: GG, Your Money's Gone!
What started as a way to connect has turned into a system of emotional transactions.
As Chia et al. (2020) put it, platforms donât just exist to serve users; they actively erase alternative models, forcing everyone to play by their rules.
Fans pay to be noticed. Streamers perform and hustle to survive. And the platforms? They profit from both. Twitch and YouTube operate within a platform capitalist model, where interactions are designed to maximize profit for the company, often at the expense of both fans and creators. Thatâs not brokenâthatâs by design.
And we call this a âcommunityâ?
Maybe itâs time we asked ourselves:
At this point, are we even gaming? Or just dollar signs funding someone else's grind, one dono at a time?
References:
Chia, A, Keogh, B, Leorke, D & Nicoll, B 2020, âPlatformisation in game developmentâ, Internet Policy Review, vol. 9, no. 4.
Keogh, B 2020, âThe Melbourne Indie Game scenes: Value Regimes in Localized Game Development (Chapter 13)â, in P Ruffino (ed.), Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics, Taylor & Francis Group, Milton, pp. 209â222.
Tachat Igityan 2022, âHow Much Do Twitch Streamers and YouTubers ACTUALLY Make from Donations?â, Hackernoon.com, viewed 20 March 2025, .
Taylor, TL 2018, âBroadcasting Ourselvesâ, Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, Princeton University Press, pp. 1â23.
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[W8: RIP to the âUglyâ Friend: How Instagram Killed Unfiltered Reality]
#The death of imperfection
Remember when filters were just dog ears and sparkles? Cute, harmless, dumb fun. Now? Filters are digital plastic surgery. One tap, and youâve got AI-snatched cheekbones, glass skin, and a jawline that could cut glass. But filters didnât just upgrade faces. They erased people.
1. The Vanishing Act: Where Did the âUglyâ Friend Go?
_No more "Quirky Aesthetic"
Once upon a time, the âuglyâ friend was a pop culture staple. Think Janis Ian, the nerdy bestie in â80s rom-coms, or the quirky sidekick in early 2000s teen dramas. They werenât conventionally attractive, but they had something elseâcharm, wit, and visibility.Â
Fast forward to 2025, and something strange has happened: the âuglyâ friend has disappeared.
Where is she? The one whose smile was a little too wide, whose skin didnât glow like an AI-rendered goddess?
Sheâs gone.
...
Not from real life, obviously.
The ugly friend isnât just missing from group picsâsheâs missing from digital existence. And social media is to blame.
2. Lookism.exe: Error 404âYour Face Didnât Load
_Algorithm saids NO! Youâre out!
Boohoo, looks like you just got facetuned to death! Instagram filters arenât just about enhancing beauty anymore. Theyâre about rewriting it, setting the standard so high that real faces start looking⊠unnatural.
A decade ago, people spent millions on surgery to fit beauty standards. Now? Itâs FaceTune, auto-adjusting, and algorithmic perfection in real time.
Your nose? Shrunk. Your jawline? Sharpened. Your skin? Smooth as a marble countertop. Your individuality? Erased.
_Scan to Exit: Your Face Doesnât Make the Cut
Filters arenât just tweaking facesâtheyâre making them machine-readable. Instagramâs not neutral; it doesnât care if youâre cute in real life - it cares if your face can be processed like a QR code.Â
Jill Walker Rettberg (2017) even spells it out for us: âMachine vision is about data, not about the visual or optical.â Scholar Carolyn L. Kane (2014), as cited by Rettberg, calls this the post-optical ageâwhere vision isnât about seeing anymore; itâs about sorting, ranking, and controlling.
Ever notice how the âExploreâ page rarely features unfiltered, barefaced selfies? Thatâs not a coincidenceâthatâs software literacy 101.Â
Your face? Just a collection of pixels and data points.Â
And if you donât fit the algorithmâs mold?
Oops, youâre ugly. Thatâs why social media unfollowed you.
3. Pretty Privilege: No Filter? No Future
#Too Ugly To Go Viral
Lie to yourself all you want, but pretty privilege is real. Instagramâs algorithm isnât fair, darlingâitâs rigged. It favors engagement, which favors attractiveness, which favors a very specific, AI-approved aesthetic.
(Apparently, real faces are now a shocking novelty on social media.)
And guess what? Itâs not enough to compete with Instagramâs hottest influencersânow, youâre in a deathmatch with your own face. The filtered, algorithm-approved version of you? Thatâs the new gold standard.
Reality doesnât stand a chance.
The only way to reach todayâs impossible beauty ideals is to edit yourself into existence. (Coy-Dibley 2016)
These filters donât just smooth skin. They rebuild your faces.
They auto-correct âimperfections.â They whiten skin and enlarge eyes (a.k.a. Eurocentric beauty standards coded into your front camera). They erase âflawsâ before you even see them.
And what happens when people donât feel pretty enough to keep up?
đ They filter themselves into perfection. đ Or they donât post at all.
Unfiltered faces are disappearing from our feeds, and with them, the reality of what people actually look like.
4. I'd Rather Die Than Be MidâCropped & Forgotten
_Filtered & Friendless: If Youâre Not Pretty, You Canât Sit With Us! Now go AI generate yourself again
Back in the day, you could be the âawkwardâ best friend and still be visible. Now? You either fit the aesthetic, or you donât get posted.
đ Think about it:
When was the last time you saw an unfiltered group pic where not everyone looked âInstagram-readyâ? When was the last time an âuglyâ friend made it into the shot?
Mean Girls had Regina George at the center, but Gretchen and Karen were still in the frame. Today? Regina would be face-tuned to hell, and the rest of the squad would either match her energy or get cropped out.
Janis Ian? She wouldnât even be tagged.
Ugly selfies are on the endangered species list.Â
âGone were the days of using Snapchat to send ugly selfies.â _said Peres Martins (2017), as cited in Barker (2020)Â
Natural faces are getting cropped faster than an ex in a post-breakup photo dump.
This isnât just paranoiaâitâs a real shift in social dynamics. Friend groups are filtering themselves into perfection, and that means:
đ Friend groups now match aesthetics. đ If you donât fit, you donât get tagged. đ If you donât look the part, you donât make the cutâliterally.
Itâs not just what we look like thatâs changingâitâs who we associate with.
From Filter to Filler: FaceTune⊠IRL?!
_If the IT Girls Need Filters, Weâre Doomed (Spoiler Alert: Yeah weâre doomed)
Bella Hadid got a nose job at 14 just to fit Western beauty standardsâa choice she now regrets. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian literally deepfakes her own face on Instagram.
If even the beauty standards donât think their real faces are good enough⊠what hope is there for the rest of us?
Next time you swipe on a filter, ask yourself: Is this me, or just the algorithmâs version of me?
You donât need a filterâyou need a revolution. Are you ready to be seen?
đ THE END. Or is it?
References:
Barker, J 2020, âMaking-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of snapchatâ, Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 207â221, viewed .
Coy-Dibley, I 2016, ââDigitized Dysmorphiaâ of the female body: the re/disfigurement of the imageâ, Palgrave Communications, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1â9, viewed .
Jill Walker Rettberg 2017, âBiometric Citizens: Adapting Our Selfies to Machine Visionâ, in A Kuntsman (ed.), Selfie Citizenship, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 89â96, viewed .
#FaceTunedToOblivion#NoFilterNoFuture#AlgorithmAesthetics#PrettyPrivilege#FilteredOut#DeathOfAuthenticity#MDA20009
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[W7: Body, Brand, Betrayal â Your Body Is Expired, Please Update!]
We Are SlaveâOops, I Mean Made of Fakeness
(Itâs Not Just SurgeryâItâs a Show, and Weâre All Cast in It)
We donât just modify our bodies anymoreâwe modify our entire image. Filters sculpt our faces before surgeons do. Aesthetic templates tell us whatâs âhot,â and what's not. If we don't adapt? We risk being erased. In an era where looking good is survival, body modification isnât a choiceâitâs an expectation.
1. The Illusion of Choice: Are We Changing for Ourselves or for the Algorithm?
_Plastic Surgery? How about Image Surgery?
Before we go further, letâs get one thing straight: body modification isnât just about surgery.
Everything gets an updateâincluding what it even means to modify ourselves.
Itâs not just the knife. Itâs filters, contour, gym grinds, fashion overalls, camera angles. Heck, even a swipe of mascara and call it a day counts. Opting out? Not an option.
But hereâs the kicker: Body modification isnât the villainâpressure is. Beauty trends move faster than iPhone updates, and if you canât keep up? Youâre out.
One moment, razor-sharp cheekbones reign supreme. The next? âSoft girlâ beauty takes overâbut only if the softness is sculpted just right.
And letâs be real, the no-makeup makeup look doesnât mean actually bare-faced. Your skin better be flawlessânaturally or, ahem, with a little help. (No hate to my fellow plastic surgery besties - itâs your body, your choice! You're cool.)
So, who decides these trends? Because it sure as hell isnât the people draining their bank accounts trying to keep up.
_JoJo, Have You Learned NOTHING? Youâre Too Old! Also, Grow Up!
Remember that whole thing about stereotypes back in Week 4? (If youâve read it, youâll know what I mean! Just wanna make suređ)Â
Yeah, well, plot twist: Itâs not just about genders and sexuality anymore, because the new girl has arrived: The âacceptableâ way to be an adult.Â
And no one felt that pressure harder than JoJo Siwa.Â
She didnât go under the knife (I think?), but letâs be realâshe had to remodel herself to fit the part. If body modification is about survival, then this is its final form: Image modification.
Now donât get me wrong, what she did is a mess, but letâs be real; she was handed a checklist:Â
đThe bows? Juvenile. âšThe sparkles? Cringe.Â
The new script?
đSmudge the eyeliner. đDitch the high pitch đŠ”đżRip the fishnets. đŠAct provocatively. đ»Chug booze on stage âïžFlaunt tattoos like war medals. (theyâre fake btw). đ¶Talk about little kiddies. đAnd, of course, sprinkle in some NSFW content.
(not that she had time to figure it out before the world forced her handâbut hey, give the girl a break, sheâs trying)Â
_Insert Coin to Continue: The Cost of Being âSeenâ
Just like that, Jojo wasnât a kid anymoreâshe was reprogrammed. And of course, the internet had opinions (as always).Â
âThatâs what adulthood is supposed to look like, right?â -little JoJo thinks.
But did JoJo actually choose this transformation? Or was it a survival tactic?
And mate, I call this - âthe trapâ.
Body modification isnât just about lips and hips anymoreâitâs about shaping an entire image to fit a mold. And when the mold shifts, so must we.
JoJo didnât just changeâshe had NO choice. The world would never let her stay the same. And fame? Fame doesnât reward authenticityâit rewards adaptability.Â
New image or full-blown surgery? Doesnât matter. JoJo only gets one real choice: Adapt or die.
2. I Canât Believe Itâs Not Me! A Guide to Looking âRealâ (By coughing the money up)
_When Your Existence Needs a Glow-Up
Weâre told self-love is the answerâbut if you feel ugly?
Thatâs on you.
Every flaw is your personal project to fix. No pressure, though! Just a quick filler here, a gym membership there, a thousand-dollar serumâboom! Youâre âempoweredâ now.Â
You CHOSE this yourself, right?
Yay! You âescapedâ the male gazeâŠ
...Only to be enslaved by capitalism.
Flawlessness has never been more expensive, yet weâre still expected to achieve it effortlessly. Self-love didnât free usâit just gave us new ways to hate ourselves.Â
(Somehow, we still gotta look hot while falling apart.)
And social media? It thrives on this cycle. Algorithms donât just reflect beauty standardsâthey enforce them. The more engagement a body type gets, the more the system amplifies it. Platforms donât just show us whatâs trending; they make sure it stays trendingâuntil itâs time to sell us the next look.
Carah and Dobson (2016) explain that algorithms track which body types get the most engagement and push them even further, making beauty a numbers game where visibility equals value.
If you canât do that? The algorithm swipes left.Â
_Congrats! Youâre a Trend Now. Hope You Age Well
So, weâve dragged modern "body modification"âa.k.a. "Image Surgery"âthrough the mud. But what about the OG version?
You know, the real knives-and-needles kind? The one that doesnât just tweak your Instagram aesthetic but permanently reshapes you?
Once upon a time, the BBL was the must-have body upgrade. And guess who led the charge? The queen of body trends herself - Kim Kardashian.
She didnât follow the trendâshe was the trend. Hyper-curvy became the gold standard of desirability. But the moment slim and ânaturalâ came back? She deflated faster than Wall Street in â29.
Kim didnât just sell a body typeâshe sold an entire industry. And when she cashed out, the beauty economy followed.
As Dorfman et al. (2017) point out, Instagram isnât just flexing glow-ups; itâs fueling a billion-dollar plastic surgery pipeline, turning young adults into prime targets.
_Your BBL Is Overdue!
The worst part?
âȘïžKim can afford to hit âundo.âÂ
đThe rest of us? Weâre stuck with yesterdayâs trend on bodies that todayâs beauty standard has already abandoned.
Today itâs BBLs, tomorrow itâs something elseâbut the system never changes.
Drenten, Gurrieri and Tyler (2019) make it clearâvisibility is currency, and if you canât cash in, youâre out. The algorithm doesnât do nostalgia.
3. The Ultimate Scam: It Was Never About Bodies, Itâs About CONTROL
_Body Modification: The New Cage of Beauty â If You Donât Change, Youâll Disappear
Body modification isnât just about aestheticsâitâs about proving something.Â
Prove youâre sexy, but not too sexy. Be strong, but still desirable. Improve yourself, but in an acceptable way.
Itâs not about personal choice anymore; itâs about survival of the most âbeautifulâ. Change your body, or risk becoming invisible.Â
đȘâStrong women donât care what people think.â (Yes, we do. Thatâs why we get work done or youâll just shame us into silence again.) đ
âReal women donât chase validation.â (Unless itâs repackaged as empowermentâthen go off, queen.) đâConfidence is power.â (But not too much confidence. Stay humble, darling.)
So here we are, stuck between two impossible choices:
Modify yourself? Youâre a brainwashed sellout. Stay the same? Youâre insecure and outdated.
SHOCKER: Weâre Not Modifying OurselvesâWeâre Being Modified
At this point, body modification isnât just about looks. Itâs about staying relevant.
Kim modified her body. JoJo modified her personality.
We donât just edit our faces or tweak our figures anymore. We modify our entire identitiesâpiece by pieceâuntil we fit whatever the world expects of us.Â
Our bodies are now brands.
Our confidence? A product we have to buy.
...
And if we refuse to play the game?
We get erased. From relevance. From desirability. From opportunity.
So, tell meâwho really benefits from all this?
Because if weâre all constantly reshaping ourselves to fit the next trendâŠ
Whoâs really in control?
Your body is expired, please update?
Maybe itâs time we stop letting the system install the updates for us...
References:
Atske, S 2021, âThe State of Online Harassmentâ, Pew Research Center, viewed 21 March 2025, .
Haslop, C, OâRourke, F & Southern, R 2021, â#NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online cultureâ, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1418â1438.
Marwick, AE & Caplan, R 2018, âDrinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassmentâ, Feminist Media Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 543â559, viewed .
#BodyDysmorphia#ImageSurgery#AdaptOrDisappear#FilteredReality#YourBodyIsExpired#GlowUpOrGiveUp#MDA20009
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[W6: Yet Another Exposé: Eco-Chic or a 'Force' of Habit?]
This isnât about choosing sidesâfast fashion isnât completely bad, and slow fashion isnât entirely perfect either. They both are playing the same game, just with different branding.
Slow fashion preaches sustainability like a holy gospelâbuy this overpriced linen dress, and suddenly, youâre an eco-saint! Meanwhile, fast fashion peasants (a.k.a. broke people) are shamed for not caring enough. But letâs be real: slow fashion still wants you to spend, just with a smug little âethicalâ label slapped on. And digital activism? Oh, itâs thrivingâcalling out brands, launching hashtag wars, and guilt-tripping consumers into âdoing better.â So tell me, are we actually saving the planetâor just flexing our so-called âconscious consumerâ status for clout?Â
Congrats, you did it! (Wellâif you can afford it.)
1. Dress to Impress: Another Day, Another Expensive Guilt Trip
_They got us, huh?
Slow fashion tells you what to buy, but never asks why you feel the need to buy in the first place. The message is always the same:
Buy slow fashion, and you'll save the planet! Buy slow fashion, and you'll save the workers!
Too bad, most people donât actually know how fast fashion destroys the environment, or why slow fashion is supposed to be better. We just nod along, guilt-tripped into thinking a $200 linen dress makes us ethically superior. Sure, we hear the usual spiel:
"Fast fashion pollutes! Slow fashion lasts longer!"
But how much longer, really? Five years? Ten? Long enough to justify the price tag?
_Luxury Guilt-Tripping: Now in Soft Beige!
And what about the workersâare they truly getting better conditions, or is that just another marketing line?
DW Planet A (2021) highlights how many so-called "ethical" brands still underpay garment workers and rely on exploitative labor, just with better PR.Â
The narrative is simple: Fast fashion is the villain, slow fashion is the hero, and if you care about the environment, youâll cough up three monthsâ rent for a "sustainable" linen dress.
...I hate to break it to you, but consumption is still consumption. No matter how many recycled buzzwords you slap on it, the industry still wants you to spend, spend, spend.
_Sustainability? More Like Expensive Self-Deception
If sustainability was the goal, weâd be buying less, not just different.
But noârather than tackling our addiction to consumption, slow fashion just slaps on an eco-friendly label and a higher price tag, as no matter how much you try to brainwash yourself, slow fashion still operates within the same capitalist system as fast fashion.
Suddenly, shopping isnât just a mindless habitâitâs a moral obligation (Brewer 2019).
Are we actually changing, or just paying more to feel better about staying the same?
2. Excuse Me? How Much for a Clean Conscience?
_Thrifting Ainât a Cheat Code, Ya Know?
Ethical fashion isnât about saving the planet; itâs about saving your self-image and flexing your moral superiority. Letâs be realâa $300 linen dress doesnât make you an environmentalist. Thatâs not âactivismâ; thatâs just bougie guilt relief. But donât worry, youâre not the bad guy! Youâre just âsomeone who can afford to feel superior while still shopping like everyone else!â Itâs not a revolutionâitâs⊠whatâs it called again? Oh! Right. Same old capitalism, thrifted blazer.
And cue the self-righteous chorus:
âJust thrift more!â âStop buying fast fashion!â
Aww, because secondhand stores are just overflowing with size-inclusive, work-appropriate, affordable, brand-new-looking clothes for everyone, RIGHT?Â
News flash: thrifting isnât the magical solution yâall think it is.
Prices are climbing, resellers are hoarding trendy pieces, and letâs not even start on the hygiene gamble.Â
But sure, letâs keep shaming broke people for ânot caring enough.â
Oh, okay. Too bad, so sad.
Sorry that my financial situation hurts your feelings! Guess I should dig through overpriced, picked-over thrift racks hoping to find something that fits? Or drop my rent money on a dress that still exploits workers, more aesthetically? Got it.
And if slow fashion is so âethical,â why does it still gatekeep sustainability behind a paywall?
Chi et al. (2021) further confirm that slow fashion appeals mainly to wealthier consumers, reinforcing that sustainability is a privilege, not an accessible choice.
The message is clear: if you canât afford to âshop responsibly,â you must not care enough.
But hereâs the real teaâmost people donât choose fast fashion, theyâre funneled into it. Meanwhile, slow fashion brands slap a sustainability sticker on a $400 dress and pretend theyâve solved overconsumption. If youâre poor, YOU'RE the problem.
At the end of the day, itâs not about buying betterâitâs about buying less.Â
But no brand wants to sell you that message now, do they?Â
3. If I'm the Villain, Then You're Just a Hypocrite!
_Broke = Villain, Rich = Virtuous?
Fast fashion consumers get dragged through the mud, while billion-dollar corporations waltz away scot-free.
Oh how we love a good scapegoat. And in this case? Itâs the broke college student scraping by, buying a $10 Shein top because, SHOCKER, thatâs all they could afford. Meanwhile, slow fashion brands are out here polishing their halos, prancing around happily with their
âWeâre so ethicalâ banners for âdoing betterâ
â conveniently ignoring the fact that theyâre still underpaying garment workers, sourcing materials from god-knows-where, and engaging in the same exploitative labor practices they claim to fight against. But hey, at least their website has soft beige aesthetics and an âEco-Friendlyâ badge, right? So chic. So ethical.
_You're Just B-R-O-K-E!
Just tell me, if a brand calls itself ethical but still refuses to pay fair wages, is it actually ethical? Or just better at PR? Â
Because, half these brands arenât selling sustainabilityâtheyâre selling the illusion of sustainability at a luxury markup. And the best part? The guilt-tripping is free! Oh, you canât afford to drop $400 on a linen jumpsuit?
Sounds like a YOU problem, not a ME problem!Â
_Gaslight, Gatekeep, Greenwash
And thatâs "the angle". The whole conversation shifts blame onto consumers, guilt-tripping them into believing they are the problem while the corporations doing the real damage get off with a performative Earth Day Instagram post and a âWe Careâ marketing campaign. Sustainability shouldnât be a privilege, but slow fashion brands sure love keeping it that way.
Plot Twist (Not Really): Same Game, Same WinnersâThe Rich Make the Rules
Slow fashion isnât about ethicsâitâs about who gets to play the hero and who gets shamed for being poor. Who actually benefits when expensive brands tell you fast fashion is evil?Â
Spoiler alert: They do.
They get to sell you virtue, all while keeping that virtue just out of reach for the average person. Because letâs be realâthe same people who never had to worry about affording clothes in the first place are the ones dictating what âresponsibleâ fashion looks like. Convenient, huh? At the end of the day, thereâs no hero hereâjust a bunch of privileged people moving the goalposts and gatekeeping morality with a price tag. So before you drop half your paycheck on that âconscious collectionâ, ask yourself: Are you really making a difference, or just buying into another illusion?Â
Funny how the ones selling you âthe solutionâ are the same ones who created the problem in the first place, huh?
References:
Brewer, MK 2019, âSlow Fashion in a Fast Fashion World: Promoting Sustainability and Responsibilityâ, Laws, vol. 8, no. 4, p. 24.
Chi, T, Gerard, J, Yu, Y & Wang, Y 2021, âA study of U.S. consumersâ intention to purchase slow fashion apparel: understanding the key determinantsâ, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 101â112.
DW Planet A 2021, âIf you think fast fashion is bad, check out SHEINâ, www.youtube.com, viewed .
#SustainabilityForSale#SlowFashionMyth#ConsumerGuiltTrap#EthicalWashing#The Art of Buying Your Way to Moral Superiority#Saving the Planet or Just Buying the Aesthetic?#MDA20009
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[W5: I called dibs! Breaking news: Hashtag Activism - A tale of two tales]
Guys, I think we might be club snubbed...
Ah the internet... it's not just where we scrollâitâs where we exist. From calling out injustice to fueling trends, our digital lives donât just reflect realityâthey shape it. But being online isnât enough. Digital citizenship means knowing the game: our rights, responsibilities, and the fact that platforms donât just connect usâthey control the conversation. They shape political engagement, amplify movements, and turn hashtags into rallying cries.
The question is: Weâre louder than everâbut are we really being heard? đ»
Or are we just playing by the algorithmâs rules?đ±
1. CTRL + Hustle: Clicktivism in Action?
_Hashtags: Raising Voices or Just Raising Eyebrows?Â
Hashtag activism is the internetâs megaphone, rallying millions with a single click. Movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo have driven protests, influenced policies, and reshaped cultural conversations.
But but but but! Hear me out.
_Trending Today, Forgotten Tomorrow: Whoâs Playing Who?
A viral moment isnât always a revolutionâit can just be digital theatre wrapped in pixels. Sure, social media can raise awareness at lightning speed, but keeping that momentum? Thatâs where things get messy.
As Cooper (2023) cites Muslic (2017):Â "Social media is highly efficient at raising awareness as well as funds. However, the Internet is also incredibly fast-paced, so support for campaigns is usually short-lived.â
Sound familiar? One minute, your feed is flooded with activism, and the next, itâs back to cat memes and influencer drama. The algorithm moves on, andâletâs be realâso do most people.
_Click, Clout and Collapsed: The Internetâs 30-Minute Revolution
As you might have guessed, this does not go according to planâŠ
Before TikTok made activism trendy, there was Kony 2012âthe campaign that turned a Ugandan warlord into the internetâs ultimate villain. It was the viral moment of 2012, with celebrities, influencers, and even your high school history teacher jumping on the bandwagon.
(Harris 2012)
(Hodgson 2012)
The result?
đ 100 million views in six days.
The outcome?
đ«Not Konyâs arrest
âŠjust a collective case of slacktivism burnout and the campaignâs leader having a very public meltdown. It was the ultimate reality check: the internet can make someone famous overnight, but justice? Thatâs a different story.
...
And nope, in case you were wonderingâJoseph Kony was never arrested (#That Never Happened) Despite becoming the worldâs most wanted man (at least online), he slipped through the cracks. The Ugandan military gave up the search in 2017, the U.S. packed its bags, and Kony? Well, heâs still out there, somewhereâŠHe might have faded from our feeds, but reality? Not so much.
_Algorithm decides!
But not all movements get the same red carpet. Kony 2012 was pushed; #FreePalestine was punished. Activists face shadowbans, deletions, and content blocks. Turns out, platforms donât just boost activismâthey filter it. If the algorithm isnât on your side⊠does your movement even stand a chance? But this wasnât just a #FreePalestine problemâit was a system problem.
And someone saw this coming.
_The Internetâs Unbothered ProphetÂ
Meet Zeynep Tufekci - the internetâs only sane person. She didnât just call itâshe practically had a crystal ball.Â
Tufekci tried to warn us, but did we listen? Nope. (We should have) She wasnât just skepticalâshe saw the design flaw in digital activism. Platforms donât just amplify voices; they engineer movements for engagement. The system thrives on outrage, not outcomes. And guess what? The algorithm always wins.Â
Virality isnât victory. A video trends, we tear up, smash the share button, and think weâre dismantling war crimes from our dorm rooms.
âŠCan we do better?
2. #PaveTheWay: From Tweets to Streets
_Viral with a Vengeance: Finally, We Grew a Backbone
Not all hashtag activism is performative noise. Some movements bridge the gap between digital and real-world action. Enter #NiUnaMenos.
Born in Argentina in 2015, #NiUnaMenos (âNot One Lessâ) started as a viral feminist movement against gender-based violence. It evolved into real-world protests, pushed for legal reforms, and led to stronger anti-gender violence laws.
Similarly, the #GeorgeFloyd protests also kept the fire going - it turned a viral video into a global uprising, forcing a reckoning on police brutality and racial justiceâproving that hashtag activism CAN work, and in fact, itâs a powerful toolâŠ
...Just make sure the internet doesnât move on before the âreal-lifeâ work is done.
Final Thoughts: Beyond the Scrolling, Screaming and Sharing
A tweet can trend. A movement can shake things up. But real change? That takes more than 280 characters. The fight doesnât stop when the algorithm moves onâThe question is, will you?
References:
Basu, M 2012, âAs criticism surfaces, âKONY 2012â gains momentum faster than Susan Boyleâ, CNN, viewed 15 February 2025, .
Cooper, K 2023, The Effectiveness of Online Activism: Who it is Effective For, What Issues it is Effective For, and What Time Period it is Effective For, Thesis, University at Albany, State University of New York, p. 17, viewed .
Harris, P 2012, âKony 2012 organisers plan massive day of action across US citiesâ, The Guardian, viewed .
Hodgson, S 2012, ââKony 2012â Video Illustrates the Power of Simplicityâ, The New York Times, viewed .
#ActivismOrAesthetic#FilteredRevolution#ScrollToSave?#ViralResistance#ScrollStopImpact#Click to change the world?#Are we being ghosted?#Played by the algorithm?#MDA20009
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[W4: Lights, Cameras, Action, andâŠDrama? Behind the Scenes of the âFakeâ Real Genre]
Reality TV isnât going anywhere, but it might need to start being more ârealâ than just reality.
Reality TV claims itâs âreal,â but letâs be honestâitâs more staged than a PR apology. Every tear, twist, and tantrum is edited for max drama. But with social media, fans arenât just watchingâtheyâre reacting, memeing, and fueling the chaos in real time. That âlivenessâ? Itâs what keeps us hooked.
But I'm gonna hold your hand when I say this: Letâs be realâhow ârealâ is too real?
(Yes, yes, I know I said ârealâ three timesâŠletâs just roll with itđ)

(Meme via Quickmeme)
1. Reality Check Please!Â
_When inclusivity IS the stereotype
Since its 2009 debut, RuPaulâs Drag Race has turned drag queens into global superstars while shedding light on LGBTQ+ struggles. However, its early seasonsâwhether intentionally or notâoften reinforced stereotypes like the âsassy gay,â âcatty queen,â or âtragic queer,â sparking criticism along the way.
Still, RPDR has reshaped reality TV, evolving to include trans, nonbinary, and AFAB (assigned female at birth) queens, showcasing a broader range of drag artistry.
_âTokenismâ vs. True Representation: Hello, my name is Gay, and Iâd describe my personality as âthe Gay dudeâ.
Reality TV loves to pat itself on the back for being a safe space for queer self-expressionâlike a glitter-covered utopia where everyone can be their most âauthenticâ selves; but letâs be real, not all queer identities get the same VIP access. Some fit the industryâs marketable mold, while others are conveniently left on the cutting room floor (Lovelock 2019).
LGBTQ+ representation has come a long way, but tokenism is still alive and kicking. Too often, queer contestants are cast just to tick the diversity box, only to be reduced to a stereotype or drama magnet. Even RuPaulâs Drag Race, for all its glitter and glory, has been called out for favoring polished, marketable queens while sidelining alternative drags, kings, and nonbinary performers. So while reality TV claims to be all about ârealness,â it still plays favorites when it comes to who gets the spotlight.
2. The Dark Side of Reality TV
_Oh the things they do for drama...
Behind the drama that reality TV thrives on lies a troubling truth: contestants often face significant ethical challenges, from mental health struggles to edit manipulation. High-pressure environments, little mental health support, and restrictive contracts leave contestants at the mercy of producers.
And why? Because at the end of the day, reality TV isnât about truthâitâs about entertainment. In fact, reality TV has strayed far from its documentary-style roots and is now all about
"camera-ready people (over)performing themselves in situations brimming with emotive drama, itself guaranteed by semi-scripted formats, on-set contrivances, and post-production editing". (Kavka 2018)
Translation? That jaw-dropping fight? Probably staged. That shocking confession? Heavily edited. Reality TV doesnât just capture dramaâit manufactures it.
_âVillainsâ are destined to be...hated?Â
Reality TV sells itself as unscripted, but much of it is staged by producers and editors (Strauss 2018). They manufacture drama through casting, editing, and scripted conflicts; even the contestant selection follows a formula! I mean, every show needs a âvillainâ to keep audiences hooked, right?
Though entertaining, villain edits have real-life consequences. Once a contestant is labeled the âvillain,â social media pouncesâhate comments, memes, and nonstop scrutiny. What starts as TV drama quickly turns into online harassment, sometimes wrecking careers and mental health.
Sophie Gradon, a Love Island contestant from 2016, took her own life after facing relentless online bullying and harassment. Just a year later, Mike Thalassitis, another former contestant, tragically did the same.
_The Fantasy Lover
If reality TV creates villains, it also creates idols. Fans binge Love Is Blind or The Bachelor, feeling personally invested in contestantsâ love lives. Social media only intensifies this, fueling DMs, comment wars, and overanalysis. But hereâs the twistâcontestants donât even know their biggest fans exist. Itâs a full-blown parasocial relationship, and thatâs reality TV for you.
(Meme via Quickmeme)
_The show must go on!
For those who survive the chaos? Welcome to the influencer life. Love them or hate them, ex-contestants leave with brand deals, podcasts, and TikTok fame. Reality TV is just the launchpadâsocial media is where the real game begins!
Psst! Come a little closer! I want to tell you somethingâŠÂ

(Meme via Meme Creator)
Maybe the real drama isnât on-screenâitâs us. We know itâs staged, but we still eat it up, meme it, and pick our heroes and villains.

(Meme via imgflip) Either way, the cameras keep rollingâand we keep watching.
References:
Kavka, M 2018, âReality TV: its contents and discontentsâ, Critical Quarterly, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 5â18.
Lovelock, M 2019, âIntroductionâ, Reality TV and Queer Identities: Sexuality, Authenticity, Celebrity, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1â32, viewed .
Strauss, PS 2018, Scripted Stereotypes In Reality TV, Thesis, Pace University, p. 1, viewed .
#RealityRevealed#DramaOnDemand#NotSoRealLife#DramaInTheMaking#NoCrumbsLeft#RealityTVExposed#MDA20009
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[W3: Remember Tumblr? We all are missing this digital icon!]
Are you keeping up? Captain Tumblr, its sailors, and their ships hit differentâstirring the waters of digital discourse like no other.
Public spheresâthe mature, calm, and ever-so-demure older sisterâcreate spaces for people to connect, debate, and speak their minds, all in the name of open communication, critical thinking, and a dash of democracy. Then thereâs the chaotic younger sibling, micro-public spheresâmodern, chic, and armed with its own charm: platform vernaculars. But despite their differences, both share the same fate: surveillance and algorithmic bias creeping in, twisting conversations, distorting discourse, and trapping us in echo chambers.
But what if there's one place on earth that mastered this messy digital chaos?đ€Żđ€Żđ€Ż
1. Tumblr's got a point, Tumblrâs an icon, Tumblr's a legend and Tumblr's the moment
_#Nobodyâs_Cool_in_Middle_School
Tumblr became the ultimate hangout for teens craving a more authentic and âcoolâ space, especially as Facebook started feeling more like a place for parents and older generations. As one 2014 post summed it up: âI chose Tumblr because Iâm not attractive enough for YouTube, not popular enough for Twitter, and Facebook is dumb.â (Reeve 2016) It wasnât just memes and reblogsâit was a hub for self-expression, exploration, activism, and identity exploration, especially for LGBTQ+ youth - which for teens, thatâs all they could have asked for.
"Charlie: (19, trans male, queer, urban) Knowing there were other people who were this sexuality or they were also transgender, that was a really big thing for me to be able to seeâthat there were other people that were also figuring themselves out sexuality wise. That was a nice thing for 15-year-old me to find out about." (Byron et al. 2019)
*this is a joke, I still love you Facebookđ
2. Shipping Cultures in Tumblr: The good, the bad, and the ugly
_What's the hype?
Remember when we spent hours curating our perfect Tumblr aesthetic, writing 2,000-word fan theories, and waging war over OTPs? Yeah, we were all unhingedâbut in the best way.
Shipping culture was Tumblrâs bread and butter, where fans obsessed over their favorite pairingsâcanon or not. With customizable blogs, anonymity, and a solid tagging system, users shared fanfics, art, and deep-dive analysis. Same-sex ships especially flourished, sparking conversations about queer representation and visibility, which earned Tumblr the nickname: "The queerest place on the internet" (Hannell 2023).
However, Tumblr wasnât without drama (Oh yes sheâs a drama queen indeed!), as intense "shipping wars" occasionally turned toxic, highlighting both the passion and complexities of this vibrant online culture. Well, letâs just say, itâs not Tumblr without posts saying why Drarry is better than Dramione, or âshippersâ at each otherâs throats arguing about TomStar and Starco.
_Types of ships
Canon Ships: Pairings that are officially confirmed (e.g. Hiccup and Astrid from How To Train Your Dragon).
Non-Canon Ships: Relationships imagined by fans that are not confirmed or even hinted at (e.g., Johnlock in Sherlock Holmes).
Crack Ships: Wild, humorous pairings with little to no narrative basis (e.g. Twilight Sparkle in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Mordecai from Regular Show).
_Canon or Not Canon: When your OTP becomes NOTP.
For fans, a canon ship feels like validation, fueling their imagination with more fanfic and art. But non-canon ships thrive too, giving creative freedom to explore âwhat ifâ scenariosâespecially when the storyâs relationships fall flat. Fans love finding subtext, chemistry, or representation where creators didnât.
At the end of the day, canon status doesnât make or break a shipâs importance. Shipping is all about how fans connect with the pairing, the joy it brings, and the communities and stories they build around it. I mean come on, we all bond some way or another when talking about a random 3000 words fanfic of Johnlock, right?
_Case study: The Johnlock conspiracy (TJLC) - We are all detectives now!
The rise of the Sherlock fandom and the "Johnlock" ship (Sherlock Holmes/John Watson) is Tumblr's most iconic shipping case. Fans were drawn to the chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, interpreting romantic subtext, even picking up on subtle clues (i.e. motifs, body language) that was never even confirmed in the show. However, not everyone was having it, with some going as far as calling it queerbaitingâteasing a same-sex relationship without actually following through.
And so it began, Tumblr turned into the hub for fan art, fanfic, and deep-dive theories, with TJLC fueling arguments on whether this is a hidden slow-burn romance arc or simply outrageous. The reblog culture amplified discussions and beliefs, turning Johnlock into a cultural phenomenon. While this showcased Tumblrâs influence, it also led to clashes with showrunners and fandom toxicity when Johnlock didnât become canon, with Moffat calling queerbaiting claims âridiculousâ and Gatiss joking, âOh yes, the secret episode is hidden in my cupboard. I'll send it to you if you like!â
Final thoughts:
Tumblr wasnât just a website; it was a cultural shift. From fan theories to self discovery, it shaped how we interact with the media. So maybe we donât use it like we used toâbut its legacy? #Still unmatched.
References:
Byron, P, Robards, B, Hanckel, B, Vivienne, S & Churchill, B 2019, ââHey, Iâm Having These Experiencesâ: Tumblr Use and Young Peopleâs Queer (Dis)connectionsâ, International Journal of Communication, vol. 13, pp. 2239â2259, viewed <https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/9677>.
Hannell, B 2023, âThe queerest place on the internet?: Queer belonging on Tumblrâ, Sociological Studies Research, viewed <https://socstudiesresearch.com/2023/02/03/the-queerest-place-on-the-internet-queer-belonging-on-tumblr/>.
Reeve, E 2016, âThe Secret Lives of Tumblr Teensâ, The New Republic, viewed <https://newrepublic.com/article/129002/secret-lives-tumblr-teens>.
#Tumblr_for_the_Memories#InTheTumblrLane#LostInTheTumblrVerse#JohnLock_isnât_real!?#TumblrVibes#queerhub#MDA20009
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