#explain Web 2.0

[azrielmasterlist]

His Shadows & Their Starlight

Storyline:-(Ver.2.0) Azriel is sitting next to Elain as you sit by the fireplace reading. You've been staying with Azriel, Cassian, and Rhysand for the past two months in Velaris. You're a mortal but Rhysand says you have different abilities that no mortal should be able to have. For example, winnowing or teleporting. Azriel is in love with Elain Archeron even though Elain already has a mate.

Word count:- 1.3k

Warnings:- Insecurity, Lonliness, Jealousy, Angst.

Series:- Chapter 2

Chapter 1: The Shadows in the Room

Isla's POV

I didn’t belong here.

That thought echoed through my mind over and over as I sat at the large, intricately carved wooden table in the Night Court’s expansive dining hall. The room was filled with an air of quiet sophistication, bathed in the soft light of glowing crystals that flickered in hues of violet and gold. It was beautiful, like something out of a dream, and yet all I could feel was out of place.

I was a mortal. A mere human with abilities I still didn’t fully understand, lost in a world of immortals—Fae, gods, and creatures far beyond anything I had ever imagined. They were kind to me, at least outwardly, but the strange feeling of being different, of being a thing that didn’t belong, weighed heavily on my chest. The shimmering elegance of Velaris seemed to mock my smallness, my humanity.

I tried to focus on the conversation happening around me, but it was all noise, all blur. Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, was speaking to someone, his voice smooth and calm, but I couldn’t pay attention to the words. My gaze wandered around the room, falling on a lone figure at the far end of the table.

Azriel.

The spymaster. The shadowsinger. The brooding, silent warrior with eyes that could pierce straight through you, as if he could see everything—every flaw, every mistake, every fear. He had always been the most mysterious of the Night Court, and no matter how many times I tried to make sense of him, I always came up short.

He was seated far from me, his posture stiff and rigid, his eyes fixed on something that wasn’t there. He looked like he didn’t want to be here, like he was waiting for something to end.

But even in his detachment, there was something about him that drew me in, a pull I couldn’t quite explain. It was more than just his dark, handsome features or the way his presence seemed to fill the room despite his quiet demeanor. No, it was deeper than that. It was the aura of sadness, of anger, that seemed to cling to him like a second skin.

I had only been in Velaris for a few weeks, but I had already sensed the tension between him and Elain, the youngest member of the Inner Circle. They rarely spoke directly to each other, and when they did, it was cold, distant. Sometimes, their exchanges felt like a battle of wills, neither one willing to yield.

Elain was kind, gentle, the kind of person who radiated warmth and light. She was everything Azriel wasn’t, and yet the connection between them was undeniable. But it was also complicated. She had her bond with Lucien, the fiery redhead who always seemed to be in the middle of everything, and Azriel… Azriel had his own battles.

Watching them from a distance, I couldn’t help but feel like an intruder. They were tied to each other in ways I couldn’t understand, and I didn’t know where I fit in. As a mortal, I was a guest, a foreigner in their world, and I had no place in their intricate web of relationships.

But despite that, my eyes kept drifting back to Azriel. There was something about him, something that pulled at me even in my confusion and isolation. I couldn’t stop noticing the way his shadows flickered around him like extensions of his very being, like they were alive, whispering secrets to each other.

It was in the way his shadows moved that night that caught my attention.

They weren’t just there. They were… reaching.

As the conversation continued around me, I felt a strange sensation creeping along my skin, like an electric charge in the air. My heart skipped a beat as I realized the shadows that trailed behind Azriel were moving, stretching toward me. They were subtle at first, almost imperceptible, but as the night wore on, they became harder to ignore.

My pulse quickened. I was in the middle of a conversation, but my attention had completely shifted. I couldn’t take my eyes off the shadows. I looked up at Azriel, who had yet to notice my gaze, and felt a twinge of unease. Why was I feeling this? Was I imagining things?

“Isla?”

Rhysand’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I blinked rapidly, snapping back to reality. I looked up to find him smiling kindly at me, though there was a glimmer of concern in his violet eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “I was… lost in thought.”

Rhysand’s smile deepened, but there was still a touch of curiosity in his gaze. “It’s all right. If you’re not feeling up to this, we can call it a night.”

I shook my head quickly, not wanting to appear weak. “No, I’m fine.”

I forced my attention back to the conversation, but my thoughts remained on Azriel, on the way the shadows that swirled around him seemed to reach out to me. They were drawing closer now, moving like tendrils of smoke, curling and uncurling as if beckoning me.

There was no reason for me to feel this way. Shadows were nothing new to me; I had learned long ago to accept that I had strange abilities, some of which I didn’t fully understand. But this… this was different. These weren’t just shadows. They were alive, and they wanted something from me.

I glanced again at Azriel. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t acknowledged the strange movements of the shadows at all. His face remained impassive, as though he didn’t even notice the way his own shadows responded to me. But I could feel them. They were reaching for me, wrapping around me in a silent embrace.

The moment felt surreal. My skin tingled with an odd warmth, and I felt… comforted. The shadows, cold and dark as they were, seemed to understand me in a way no one else had. I wasn’t sure if they were reaching for me because they recognized something in me or if it was just Azriel’s quiet power influencing them. But I was drawn to them, to the silence they offered, to the unspoken promise they seemed to whisper.

I wanted to pull back, to escape the weight of the moment, but I couldn’t. The shadows surrounded me like a second skin, offering their quiet, silent support.

“Isla?”

This time, it was Azriel’s voice, low and gravelly, and I flinched. My heart raced as I turned to face him. His piercing hazel eyes met mine, and for a brief moment, the tension between us seemed to stretch out in a tight, invisible line.

He was watching me closely, studying me with an intensity that made me feel exposed, as if he could see right through me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words failed me. I wasn’t sure what I could say. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“You’re… staring,” Azriel said, his voice softer now, though it held a faint trace of curiosity.

I didn’t know how to respond. The shadows were still with me, curling around my legs and arms like a gentle caress, and yet, I could feel their weight. Azriel’s shadows. The shadows that followed him wherever he went.

I wanted to ask him about them. I wanted to ask him why they reacted to me, why they seemed to care. But I couldn’t. Something about him—his distance, his silence—kept me at arm’s length.

“I’m sorry,” I managed finally, though the apology felt hollow. “I just… felt something.”

Azriel’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t push further. He merely nodded, his gaze never leaving mine.

I wasn’t sure what happened next. But I knew, deep down, that this moment, this strange connection with the shadows, was only the beginning of something I couldn’t yet comprehend.

As the night wore on, the shadows stayed with me, their presence never fading, and I realized that no matter how much I tried to escape it, I was bound to this world. To Velaris. To Azriel.

And perhaps, just perhaps, I was meant to be here.

[elasticitymudflap]

god this website has gone to shit, and i feel like i have no way of really explaining it to someone who wasn't here 10 years ago. it wasn't always this late stage capitalist wasteland of ads and monetization grifts like the checkmarks and badges and blazing posts and domain purchases. the very concept of paying for a "tumblr premium" was a running joke for YEARS and now we're inundated with pop ups begging us to subscribe and making the ui more cluttered and broken and more like the very things most of us came here to escape from other platforms in the first place. everything about this site is more broken and ugly than i could have ever imagined it, but the sickening part is that literally every platform is like this now, there's no true mainstream escape from it. it's genuinely depressing to me that there's no more room in web 2.0 for anything but cookie-cutter streamlined garbage as if there has to be a financial or business incentive for our presence in all online spaces. places that were once community centres and public playgrounds are turning into high-end malls with security guards itching at the chance to catch you loitering long enough to yell at you to buy something or get the hell out. this sucks man.

[mywitchyblog]

Shiftblr Supposed Toxicity and the Hypocrisy of Shiftok

Masterlist :

Disclaimer: It seems the "Shiftok exodus" wwhere shiftokers in fear of tiktok getting banned in the US has flocked to other platforms, tumblr included has begun, with people who haven’t been properly informed arriving from the cult-like environment of Shiftok.

Now, these individuals are attempting to declare that certain topics, like age and race changing, are fundamentally bad and are "calling us out" for discussing them. So, enjoy this essay I quickly put together in response.

If you wish to engage in discussion or debate, feel free to do so in the comments. However, if I see you resorting to insults, threats, or failing to argue without a trifecta of straw man, hasty generalization, and ad hominem fallacies, kindly get the hell off my page. I want nothing to do with that nonsense.

With that said, enjoy the essay—because I am definitely not done dealing with the mess that is Shiftok. And I would rather die than let Shiftblr turn into a Shiftok 2.0, driven by people who don’t know anything about shifting or who are trying to impose rigid, uninformed rules.

I never experienced any toxicity from shiftblr its a breath of fresh air compared to other thing.

Introduction: Understanding the Dynamics of Shifting Communities

In the world of reality shifting, there are vibrant communities across various platforms where shifters gather to share their experiences, discuss methods, and offer support.

Two of the most prominent spaces are Shiftblr on Tumblr and Shiftok on TikTok. However, these communities often clash over their views on certain shifting practices, particularly those involving age and race changing.

While Shiftok frequently accuses Shiftblr of normalizing unethical practices, a deeper look reveals a complex web of misunderstandings, double standards, and even hypocrisy within Shiftok itself.

Part 1: Shiftok’s Criticism of Shiftblr

Subpart A: Accusations of Normalizing Controversial Practices

Shiftok has repeatedly criticized Shiftblr for allegedly "normalizing" practices like age and race changing, which some in the TikTok community see as inherently problematic. They argue that by discussing and engaging in these practices, Shiftblr is promoting behavior that crosses ethical boundaries. Critics claim that age changing, especially when it involves shifting to a younger age, is morally dubious, while race changing is often labeled as cultural appropriation or fetishization.

However, these accusations are grounded in a shallow understanding of shifting and a refusal to engage with the nuanced realities of these practices. For instance, critics often fail to recognize that age changing in shifting is not about retaining adult consciousness in a younger body but fully immersing oneself in the mindset, maturity, and emotional framework of the desired age in the new reality (Desired Reality or DR). As said in my essay about age changing, maturity is linked to the brain’s development, and when you shift, your consciousness aligns with the age-appropriate cognitive functions of your DR self. This immersion means you are not simply an adult pretending to be a child; you truly embody the age and life stage of your DR self.

Similarly, race changing in shifting is not about superficial role-playing or exploiting another culture. Instead, it’s a profound experience where shifters fully immerse themselves in the cultural, emotional, and even historical aspects of the new identity. As explained in my essay about race changing, shifters experience the world through the lens of their new racial identity, gaining insights and understanding that are impossible to achieve from a distance. This isn’t about "trying on" a race; it’s about fully inhabiting and understanding a different cultural perspective, often leading to increased empathy and a deeper commitment to social justice in the Original Reality (OR).

Subpart B: The Reality of Shiftblr’s Approach

Shiftblr is not about promoting controversial practices recklessly; instead, it’s a space where shifters are encouraged to explore their identities responsibly and thoughtfully. Reality shifting is deeply personal, and Shiftblr recognizes the importance of allowing individuals to explore different ages, races, and life experiences as part of their self-discovery and healing process.

Encouraging Ethical Exploration: Shiftblr emphasizes the importance of approaching age and race changing with respect and a deep understanding of the implications involved. The community provides nuanced guidance, encouraging shifters to engage in these practices not out of curiosity or fetishization but as a means of personal growth, healing, and empathy development. For example, age changing can help individuals relive experiences they missed or heal from past traumas by allowing them to experience life from a different perspective. Similarly, race changing can offer profound insights into the lived experiences of different racial groups, challenging biases and fostering a deeper understanding of cultural dynamics.

Criticism Stemming from Misunderstandings: The criticisms from Shiftok often stem from a failure to understand these deeper motivations. By shutting down conversations about age and race changing, Shiftok not only stifles personal growth but also misses the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions about the ethical implications of these practices. Instead of fostering an environment of open dialogue, Shiftok’s approach often results in gatekeeping and the suppression of diverse perspectives, leading to a less inclusive and supportive community.

Part 2: The Hypocrisy of Shiftok

Subpart A: Cult-Like Behavior and Double Standards

While Shiftok is quick to condemn Shiftblr for allegedly normalizing controversial practices, the TikTok shifting community often engages in behaviors that are equally, if not more, problematic. Shiftok operates much like a cult, where popular shifters dictate what is considered acceptable, and anyone who challenges these norms is ostracized or harassed.

The Cult of Popularity: On Shiftok, certain figures have amassed large followings and set the tone for what is deemed "correct" within the community. This creates a toxic environment where conformity is enforced, and dissenting voices are silenced. The double standards in how Shiftok approaches different types of shifts are particularly glaring. For instance, shifts into fictional characters or races, even those involving ethically questionable scenarios (such as becoming a vampire who preys on humans), are widely accepted and even celebrated. Yet, shifts involving real-world races or age changes are harshly criticized and labeled as unethical.

Romanticizing Fictional Oppression: Shiftok’s hypocrisy is further highlighted by its acceptance of shifts into fictional races that face oppression or discrimination, such as the Na’vi from "Avatar" or mutants from "The X-Men." These shifts involve experiencing fictional forms of racism or societal prejudice, yet they do not receive the same scrutiny as shifts involving real-world racial experiences. This romanticization of fictional oppression trivializes real-world struggles and reveals a lack of critical thinking about the ethical implications of different types of identity shifts.

Double Standards in Age Changing: A particularly stark example of Shiftok’s double standards can be seen in their attitudes towards age changing. As discussed in my essay about age changing, there is a significant double standard when teenage shifters criticize adults for aging down while they themselves often age up in their Desired Realities (DRs) to experience adult situations. Teenage shifters frequently shift into realities where they are married adults with children and engage in mature content, yet they are quick to condemn adults who wish to revisit their youth. This inconsistency not only highlights the hypocrisy in their arguments but also exposes a lack of understanding about the nature of shifting and the fluidity of identity across different realities.

Subpart B: Judgmental Attitudes and Lack of Empathy

The judgmental attitudes prevalent in Shiftok are often rooted in ignorance and a superficial understanding of shifting practices. Many in the TikTok community are quick to condemn those who engage in age or race changing without taking the time to understand the motivations behind these practices or the depth of the shifters' experiences.

Misunderstanding the Immersive Nature of Shifting: Critics often fail to recognize that reality shifting involves complete immersion in the new reality. When a shifter changes their age or race, they do not merely adopt the appearance of a different identity—they fully embody the mindset, emotions, and cultural context of that identity. For example, shifters who engage in race changing experience life from the perspective of their new racial identity, including the societal challenges and cultural nuances that come with it. This is not a superficial act but a profound, empathetic engagement with another way of being.

Hostility Towards Different Perspectives: The hostile environment on Shiftok discourages open discussions about controversial practices, leading to a community that is less supportive and more divisive. Shifters who explore different identities or challenge the status quo are often met with harsh criticism and even harassment. This attitude stifles personal growth and limits the potential for meaningful, transformative experiences within the community.

Part III-Further Delving into Age and Race Changing: A Complex and Misunderstood Practice

Subpart A-Age Changing: The Healing Power of Revisiting the Past

Age changing in shifting is often misunderstood and unfairly criticized. Critics argue that shifting to a younger age is inherently inappropriate, especially when it involves romantic or sexual relationships. However, this criticism ignores the reality that when shifters age down, they fully adopt the cognitive and emotional framework of their younger self in the DR. As said in my essay about age changing, this process involves a complete alignment with the DR self's maturity, making the experience age-appropriate within the context of that reality.

Healing and Exploration: Aging down allows shifters to relive experiences they missed or to heal from past traumas. It offers a second chance at life stages that may have been marred by anxiety, trauma, or missed opportunities. For many, this practice is not about escapism but about gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and finding healing through immersive experiences in different life stages.

Subpart B-Race Changing: Fostering Empathy and Understanding

Race changing is another practice that is frequently misunderstood and criticized. Detractors often accuse shifters of cultural appropriation or fetishization, but this perspective overlooks the profound potential for personal growth and empathy development that race changing offers.

Immersive Cultural Engagement: When shifters change their race, they do not merely adopt the physical characteristics of another race—they immerse themselves fully in the cultural, emotional, and historical aspects of that identity. This experience allows shifters to gain insights into racial dynamics, challenge their own biases, and develop a deeper understanding of different cultural perspectives.

Addressing Concerns About Appropriation: Critics often argue that race changing constitutes cultural appropriation, but this argument fails to account for the deeply immersive and empathetic nature of the practice. Unlike superficial acts of cultural appropriation, race changing in shifting involves a comprehensive engagement with the new identity, including the challenges and discrimination that may come with it. This immersive experience fosters genuine understanding and empathy, rather than reinforcing stereotypes or trivializing cultural experiences.

IV-How Shiftok Has Harmed the Reality Shifting Community

Shiftok’s approach to shifting has had a detrimental impact on the broader shifting community. By prioritizing trend-driven, superficial practices over deep, meaningful exploration, Shiftok has contributed to the erosion of community knowledge and the spread of misinformation. As said in my essay about how Shiftok destroyed shifting, the TikTok community’s focus on popularity and aesthetics has led to a decline in the quality of information shared, with many shifters abandoning the platform in search of more supportive and knowledgeable communities.

Surface-Level Engagement: Shiftok’s emphasis on aesthetics and trend-following has reduced reality shifting to a series of shallow practices that lack depth and substance. Instead of encouraging shifters to engage with their experiences on a meaningful level, Shiftok promotes a surface-level engagement that prioritizes what’s popular over what’s personally meaningful. This shift in focus has led to a homogenization of shifting practices, where only certain types of shifts are considered "acceptable," stifling creativity and personal growth.

Toxic Environment: The cult-like behavior on Shiftok has created a toxic environment where dissenting voices are silenced, and critical thinking is discouraged. Shifters who challenge the mainstream views or explore controversial topics like age and race changing are often harassed or ostracized. This stifles open dialogue, limits the potential for collective learning, and alienates individuals seeking support and understanding within the community.

Conclusion: Embrace the Full Experience of Shifting

In conclusion, Shiftblr is not about "normalizing" controversial practices for the sake of it; it’s about fostering a community where shifters can explore the full spectrum of human experience in a meaningful, ethical, and transformative way. The accusations from Shiftok are rooted in misunderstandings, fallacies, and a hypocritical approach to shifting that fails to recognize the depth and complexity of these practices.

While Shiftok operates like a cult, enforcing conformity and punishing those who deviate from the norm, Shiftblr provides a space for thoughtful, nuanced discussions about the ethics and implications of shifting. Whether it’s exploring different ages, races, or entirely new realities, Shiftblr emphasizes the importance of respect, understanding, and a willingness to learn.

Shifting is a personal journey, one that should not be limited by narrow-minded judgments or superficial ethics. By embracing the full experience of shifting, including the challenging and controversial aspects, shifters can engage in a journey of self-discovery and growth that is truly transformative. It’s time for Shiftok to take a step back, recognize their own hypocrisy, and allow for the open, thoughtful exploration that Shiftblr encourages.

[littlestsnicket]

more disparate iwtv thoughts

- the key to understanding loustat is that lestat falls for louis for the following reasons in this order: 1 louis’ capacity for violence, 2 louis being fucking gorgeous, and 3. louis having enough inner conflict and desire for self knowledge to occupy him for at least a dozen human lifetimes. lestat falls for louis because he thinks louis would make an excellent vampire, and nothing that happens over the intervening decades changes his mind. he believes he knows louis better than louis knows himself, and, narratively, on a number of points he is right. while this would be horrifying in real life, it’s extremely compelling in fiction

- i hate hate hate the idea that love isn’t real if it’s destructive. and i actually see that at least as much from entertainment journalists as fandom. lestat loves louis. armand loves louis. louis loves claudia. that doesn’t mean their relationships are good or positive or anything else. louis loves lestat. louis loved armand once, at least. (claudia loves louis but that’s not really relevant here.)

- relatedly cannot stop thinking about assad saying armand just wants to be loved. 100% correct. the fact that this desire is filtered through centuries of maladaptive coping mechanisms does not make it less true.

- louis has never used social media of any kind. he has a desktop computer to access email and databases of property and art. computers are for work. anything time sensitive gets filtered through armand or his staff.

- armand spends a lot of time on twitter and like 8chan searching for victims. this means he can code switch into perfect tech bro. daniel and lestat find this deeply unnerving. louis doesn’t spend enough time online to really understand what armand is doing. armand used to spend a lot of time on reddit, but even he could tell that the arguments he kept getting obsessed over were bad for him so he had to stop.

- lestat is a tumblr girly. he writes questionable sad poetry and posts artsy pictures. he occasionally gets really into fandom. he is a hannigram shipper. he has the worlds most eclectic music side blog.

- daniel is on twitter in a professional capacity, but he spends enough time there, both doing legitimate investigation and doom scrolling, to be relatively up on modern slang and what is trendy with the youth.

- anyway, my point is, even though lestat and especially armand are most comfortable expressing themselves in a way that is vaguely archaic, louis is the one most likely to need technology/modern phrasing explained to him. but also not that often, he does get out of the house and interacts with real people so he stays pretty up to date.

- i think claudia would entirely mirror louis in regard to computer usage. or maybe not. claudia would be an early internet adopter. she misses usenet and refuses to use any web 2.0. she wouldn’t even use google. she runs into armand on the darknet. mostly she and madeline would run an organic farm in the french countryside using corpses as fertilizer.

- louis and armand are both switches and into violent bloody sex. the fact that most of their sex since paris has been mutually unfulfilling is an achievement. (louis just… isn’t very good at stoping armand from turning sex into trauma reenactment time TM. louis doesn’t like it but armand is very insistent and louis is often lowkey angry at him to start with. they’re both at fault here.) (i’m not going to look up the exact quote but ‘half blank half apocalyptic, what’s it going to be this time? are you gonna want to lick my boots or cut my head off?’ says so so much about loumand.) (and ugh louis wanting predictability after lestat and that being his initial impression of armand and getting mr trauma gremlin instead…)

[krakenartificer]

Basics of Tumblr-based memetics for reddit refugees

When people arrive at Tumblr, they are generally unsure about how to handle themselves. The buttons are easy enough (I mean, the UI sucks, but it's 2023, we're all used to sucky UIs by now, so....), but what are the social implications of each one? What does a reblog mean?

This is very difficult to explain to people for whom this is their first social media site, or are arriving here from (eg) Facebook. But for this round of refugees, from Reddit specifically, I actually can explain. Because!...

....As you have no doubt noticed ....

.... in a world where we all use 4 websites, and each of them consists of content screenshotted from the other 3....

...there is not an equal distribution of who's making content and who's copying it. Facebook generates almost none of the content for other websites; Twitter generates some; but nearly all of the content on the modern internet is generate on Reddit or on Tumblr.

There is a reason for this: all "web 2.0" sites have the ability to generate new memes, and new variants on those memes. But only Reddit and Tumblr have an evolutionary pressure that forces those memes through a natural-selection process. On Reddit, that pressure is applied by the voting system: if an addition to a post doesn't get enough upvotes, it's hidden from view, which means it has limited ability to affect the next generation of posts.

On Tumblr, the equivalent evolutionary pressure is applied by reblogs: each version of a post, each set of additions, is seen in proportion to how many people reblog it, and thus cause other people to see it. Lack of reblogs -> lack of visibility -> limited ability to affect the next generation of posts.

So with that in mind, let's look at some nuances that are specific to the Tumblr ecosystem.

1) Reblogs are direct visibility; upvotes are indirect

On Reddit, when you upvote something, it's a signal to the algorithm that -- in your opinion -- this thing is useful/valuable/funny or in some other way worthwhile. The algorithm takes that into account along with everyone else's votes, time since it was posted, and so on, and makes a decision about what to show by default vs what to hide by default, and how to sort things. Upvoting does affect visibility, but it's only one factor.

Whereas on Tumblr, reblogging puts the post on your followers' dashboards directly (assuming your followers have chronological order turned on, which most of them probably do because fuck corporate decisions about what I should and shouldn't see). One reblog = one post on everyone's dashboard; it's as simple as that.

Reblogging is therefore a much stronger evolutionary boost than upvoting is.

2) Likes have very little impact on visibility

Most people have "based on your likes" turned off. Even for those that keep it on, it doesn't affect what other people see, it only gives Tumblr some idea of what you might like to see. Of course behind the scenes that's somehow accomplished with some kind of correlation coefficient about which posts are most likely to be "liked" by the same person, and in that sense a "like" on this post increases the likelihood that someone else who has "liked" other posts that you have "liked" will see this post as well, but it's a very tenuous and wispy impact,.

Liking is therefore a much weaker evolutionary boost than upvoting is, and should be considered more along the lines of a high-five, or a hug, or a "I would give you gold for this if I could afford any" comment.

(Also, you cannot "like" only one section of a post. When you "like", the notification goes to everyone in the chain, from OP to the latest reblog. If you wish to give specific high-fives, the mechanism you're looking for is replies.)

3) Replies have no impact on visibility one way or the other.

Only OP gets notifications for replies, but you can tag people in the reply to notify them. This is the place for "@most-recent-commenter I would give you gold if I could" or for tagging a friend that you think would enjoy the post.

So, with the underlying mechanics of the ecosystem out of the way, let's look at

memetic engineering

There are two ways you can add your thoughts/ideas/opinions/snarky commentary to a post: in the text of the post, or in the tags.

a digression on tags

Tags -- of course -- can theoretically be used to organize content, although if we're being completely honest here, they're not ... great. for that. Tags can be handy as a textual handle to simplify your google search when you use an external search engine to search your own tumblr blog, but their use as an archival tool is mediocre at best. Likewise, no matter what the Tumblr UI says in the tag section, they're not gonna be that helpful in allowing people to find your content.

Tags can also, as sometimes they do on Twitter or Instagram, provide context to a post. This is less important here, since without a character limit there's no need to trim down your commentary and trust #wgastrike2023 to fill in the missing details, but it can be very handy when you're trying to determine whether this "Bruce and his buddies" post is talking about The Hulk or about Batman, or whether this thread is dissing Harry Potter, Harry Styles, or Harry Prince of Wales.

Tags are also very handy for allowing people to continue following you even when there's some sort of interest incompatibility. If you love spiders -- especially pictures of spiders -- and I'm arachnophobic, then I'm probably not going to be able to keep following you, no matter how excellent your Anarchist Star Wars takes are. But if you love pictures of spiders and you tag every single one of them #spiders, then I can block that tag and still keep following you. Similarly, a temporary block on #The Witcher Spoilers can allow the fandom to all discuss a new episode at whatever time they're able to watch it, without having to completely avoid online spaces in the meantime.

And finally, tags can, and are, used for commentary that you don't want to put in the main post. Where that line is -- what to put in the post and what to put in tags -- is something you'll have to decide for yourself as you get experience, but as a general rule, the post is for something that you believe contributes to the memetic fitness of this post, and the tags are for things that you believe are not necessarily of memetic value. Additions to the post are integrated into the DNA, and will be passed on with subsequent reblogs; tags are only added to your instantiation of the post, and will not be included on future reblogs (unless the person who reblogs it from you is on iOS Tumblr Mobile app and hasn't adjusted their settings, in which case it'll go into their tags... but at any rate it'll die out in a generation or two.) This feature makes it good for adding meta-commentary that will be interesting/funny/valuable to your immediate circle of friends, but won't be useful to the population as a whole -- it allows you to be as snarky, in-joke-y, and obscure as you'd like, without having to spend any of your mental RAM calculating what will and won't have an impact on your Brand as an Influencer.

Influencers

There is no easy mechanism for people to see your follower count. There are many easy mechanisms for people to make it impossible to see their follower count. No one cares about how many followers you have or how far your "influence" spreads. No one is going to offer you a Tumblr sponsorship deal.

However, for assorted underlying-code reasons, Tumblr blogs are disproportionately useful for manipulating search engines. So.... we have an ongoing problem with SEO scum making a whole bunch of bots and using reblogs etc to generate fake signals to Google.

The combination of those two things leads to a general Tumblr tradition of Block Bots On Sight. The extra followers aren't helping you, and the mere fact of their existence is hurting all of us. If you've seen people strongly urging you to change your profile picture, add a bio, and reblog a couple things, that's why -- because we don't want you to get caught in the crossfire of our ongoing guerilla warfare.

Other Notes

One of the places that Reddit is much better than Tumblr is in the viewing of an entire memetic population as a whole: you just look at a post, scroll through the page, and Reddit helpfully shows you want you want to see, and hides what you don't.

On Tumblr, each memetic variation is functionally an entirely separate entity. This is great for memetic diversity, but it means there's a LOT of duplication, and it means there's really no good way to get all the variants together. The closest you can get is to "check the notes" -- click on that number at the bottom left of a post, and look through the replies, reblogs, and tags. Those are in chronological order and in no way threaded, so it's not very useful, but it is what we've got.

Let's see ...

One thing Tumblr does much better than Reddit is the ability (because of aforementioned fragmentation) to have an arbitrary number of any fandom. No more "Well I don't like the takes in r/polyamory but it's the only place where I can talk about it so idk" ... nope! Here we can have as many Spider-Man fandoms as there are Spider-Man fans. Really like someone's headcanons? Follow them! Really dislike someone's OTP? Unfollow them! Really hate someone's take on your favorite character? Block them! This is a fabulous feature of Tumblr and I encourage you to take advantage of it.

uh...

tags can be 140 characters, but they can't contain double quotes (") or commas (,) because those are delimiter characters and Tumblr will break your tag at those points in the string

...

If you think someone has mis-judged the value of their tags, you can copy them from their post and paste them into the main comment of your reblog. This is known as the tags "passing peer review". Copy-paste is preferred to screenshotting for accessibility reasons (and also the fact that sometimes Tumblr just doesn't feel like loading pictures), and it's considered polite to credit the person whose tags you promoted.

...

Contrariwise, if you think they mis-judged the value of their comment, you can go back to the person they reblogged from, and reblog without their addition. Tumblr made this harder recently, but I have confidence that we'll defeat them eventually.

...

I know that I said reblogs are much stronger than upvotes, but when you've got infinite monkeys generating infinite reblog streams, it all gets lost in the noise. Reblog anything and everything you feel like upvoting -- if people don’t want to be subjected to a bunch of random shit that lights up the dopamine receptors in your brain, they shouldn’t be following you on Tumblr.

...

IDK what to tell you about Tumblr polls. We're just like this 🤷‍♂️

...

...

That's all I can think of. Deities bless and keep you for seeing a problem in our online ecosystem and actually doing something about it. Looking forward to seeing what we can do together.

(Author's Note: All statements about how Tumblr works ("works") are as of 14 June 2023. God only knows what changes staff will have rolled out by time time you read this)

[tithnamath]

What I would do with Each Member from Thorin and Co for a Day

Hello dwarflings (and wandering travellers)! Today's post is influenced by a few imagines/oneshots I've come across. Enjoy :) (sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes in advance)

Balin - Deep conversations with history of each other's worlds. I would love to hear the history of dwarves and personal stories from Balin, and I would love to tell him history of the ancient world and the golden age of piracy.

Dwalin - OMG I would be so shy to be in a room with him haha. Definitely make cookies and brownies with him, although most of the dough and batter would be eaten by him before it goes into the oven. A tough, tattooed warrior-dwarf baking cookies is something I can see.

Thorin - Take him to therapy, the guy needs it. Jks, but he does need a lot of therapy. I'm not too sure of him as he isn't the best to have a conversation with. I think, I would like to show him my gecko, and talk about reptiles, especially dragons (this will sound mean). I really like dragons, to his confusion, so it would be a nice icebreaker to 'bond' together with.

Oin - Honestly, Oin low-key scares me. But as he is a healer, I would love to learn natural medicine and herbology. Middle-aged peasants would want me BURNED!

Gloin - I think he will just be yapping and me listening; mostly talking about his wife and Gimli which I would find super sweet. I read somewhere that Gloin fought in a war when he was super young, like 14 year old in human age. So, again war stories til the 'morrow.

Bifur - Despite a language barrier, we would be able to communicate through art as cringy as it sounds. I would like to do a workshop with him with making wooden trinkets.

Bombur - Anything to do with food haha. Have a cooking day were we cook our favourite foods for each other and rate them. Same with desserts as well. He's got to try my family's death by chocolate pie.

Bofur - KARAOKE! I'd be singing abba songs while Bofur is playing some filthy flute riffs haha. And after go to one of those public play area, but for adults, and get absolutely smashed while trying to climb through the rope webs.

Dori - I think naturally being a bit of a fashionista would come hand in hand with it for him. If we're not going to go clothes shopping I would like to go fabric shopping with him, and design and make a dwarven outfit.

Nori - I read on a oneshot/imagine (I can remember where, I'm sorry) that Nori loves cats, and I can see that. We can go to a cat cafe and play with the cats. As Nori is a bit of a *bad boi* and steals from time to time, I may or may not pay him to steal a cat or two for me. No ones going to know.

Ori - definitely a drawing day - perhaps a sketch day out somewhere. I feel like taking him to a nature reserve or a conservation zoo would be nice as he would get to see animals that wouldn't exist in Middle-Earth. The others won't believe him at - like a giraffe??? That's got to be made up.

Fili - cheeky flirt 1.0. Either binge watching forged in fire, or chilling in the woods. Yes, I'm 21 years old, but if I see a good stick or two, I will duel someone in a sword fight. And I feel like Fili would willingly participate.

Kili - cheeky flirt 2.0. Movie marathon - every Shrek movie and me having to explain every fairy tale beforehand so he would get the references. Shrek AND pizza! Icould see Fili, Ori and Bofur could join as well.

Bilbo - eat, read and eat some more. I feel like Bilbo would love the hear what you are reading/ have read, and recommend books for you. I think it would be great to explain genres that he hasn't heard of in the shire. Just keep him away from the smut booktok, he won't handle it at all!

Gandalf - He's such an instigator for drama and lives for it, so I'd be scared to bring him out in public haha. I think he would defo love to hear about online drama like stuff in gorl world. So, I would bring out a massive white board, print of photos and cut string as if its a detective board and explain the history of gorl world while Gandalf drinks tea (for red wine with a fruity bouquet).

That's all for now, love you all!

Tith Namath X

[yesterdays-xkcd]

I'm waiting for the day when, if you tell someone 'I'm from the internet', instead of laughing they just ask 'oh, what part?'

Online Communities [Explained]

Transcript

[Hand-drawn fantasy style map with land and sea areas representing populations of online communities, plus some fictious jokes and references. Each area or item is labeled.] Map of Online Communities and related points of interest Geographic area represents estimated size of membership

[A giant continent with:] The Icy North (Yahoo, Windows Live) containing the Mountains of Web 1.0, AOL, Qwghlm, Yahoo Games, Reunion dot Com, Classmates do Com, Faceparty, E-Harmony, Friendster (off the coast of which is the The Lonely Island), My Space containing The Series of Tubes, MySpace Bands, and the much smaller Attractive MySpace Pages, Blurty, O.K. Cupid, Cyworld, Orkut, Facebook, and Livejournal & Xanga - the coasts of which form the Bay Of Angst.

[The Noob Sea is bordered by AOL, the Icy North, MySpace, and an island system off the coast of Yahoo Games consisting of:] Second Life (and the much smaller island Third Life), Lineage, World of Warcraft, Runscape, Ultima Online, EverQuest, Final Fantasy 11, and further off, 2Channel and 4Chan. [To the east is labelled "Here be anthopomorphic Dragons].

[The Gulf of Youtube is bordered by Facebook, Myspace, and the island continents of:] Piczo, Broadcaster, the river Bit Torrent, Flickr, Last.FM, and DeviantArt with the subsection Gays of Web 2.0, and off the south coast and between another island is the Straits of Web 2.0.

[Off the pennisula of MySpace, island of Second Life, and island continents of Broadcaster et al is the Sea of Culture which hoasts the Peer-to-Peer Shoals. The Sea of Culture is separated from the Ocean of Subculture by and island system consisting of:] Digg, Fark, Reddit, Slash Dot, Soviet Russia, and Something Awful, which surround the Bay of Trolls, and Spaaarta (You're The Man Now Dog), Stumble Upon, and Delicious on the south end of the Viral Straits and the north end of the Sea of Memes, the Isle of Slash, Numa, and Your Base.]

[On the south end of the Sea of Memes, mostly made up of the IRC isles with a dotted outline where Usenet is located, is:] Stallman's Airship, Google's Volcano Fortress, Sourceforge, and the Wikipedia Project bridged island system that connects to M.I.T., EnGadget, Gizmodo, and Make Blog.

[West of the Wikipedia Project lies the Blogipelago with:] BoingBoing, Technorati, [something that can be read as T.W.B. or T.M.Z.], Cory Doctorow's Balloon, Sulawesi, Xu Jinglei, Post Secret, the Shipwreck of the S.S. Howard Dean, the Huffington Post, and the Wet Sea.

[North of the Blogipelago lies the Compass Rose-Shaped Island, with the north arm labelled Practicals (Noob), the south Intellectuals (Pi), west Focus on Real Life (I.R.L.), and the east Focus on Web (dot Com).]

(Not a complete survey. Sizes based on the best figures I could find but involved some guesswork. Do not use for navigation.) Spring 2007

[inside-a-fashionistas-mind]

FRUTIGER AERO(WEB 2.0)

For the first style that I'm gonna talk about is Frutiger Aero! So jumping right into it, Frutiger Aero as explained is a style and design that was first used for advertising in 2004 to 2013 and it overlapped with other styles during it's time like McBling and Electropop 08, there are also many sub cultures to this like Frutiger Metro, Frotiger Eco, Dark Aero, Technozen and many more(that I'll do a deep dive into some other day). Though I didn't do much research on music but from just veiwing some videos and websites, it seems most of it is old nostalgic music, mainly from games from the wii and ds along with other techno music. Now in present time, Frutiger Aero has made a come back on becoming popluar once again back in late 2022 on tiktok and I would say is pretty relevant now.

A lot of themes used in the Frutiger Aero style are glossy textures like fishes, bubble, water, glass, and even fruits. One of the common themes you may also see are big grassland scenerys. Frutiger Aero is also a very nostalgic style as a lot of features are from old internet like from many games, some of the games I would take inspiration from are Space Channel 5 and Mario Galaxy 2. Frutiger Aero also has a futuristic, y2k style.

Now onto the actual fashion and clothes, It was kind of hard to fins any actual words from people and not just images but from what I gathered a lot of it is still just Y2K fashion from the year it was made, most of the clothing items for frutiger aero that people have wore were sportswear items like tracksuits, tennis skirts, and tank tops(perferably with a grapic design) all with bright colors like green, blue, orange, and white(those being the main colors I saw with most outfits) for shoes are white sneakers with maybe some accent colors along with platform or heeled sandals and latex boots. All of these are still with the Y2K, futuristic, yet nostalgic style. Another style I see that kinda popluar within the Frutiger Aero community is a colorful office style, usually with a grey, blue, or white suit with a colorful undershirt and accessories, other times it can just be an oversized office button-up with any bottoms. Other clothes used are oversized shirts with a flowy or swirly design, or juet a graphic t-shirt and oversized or cropped zip-ups. BUT if you are going to a special event and want a dress then ones that go up to your mid-thigh with a flowy sleeve or no sleeves at all with be perfect!

Now... ACCESSORIES! For jewlary, I don't see much people go to the max but they do wear bangles and maybe charm bracelets along with thin necklaces that cometimes have a charm on them. Belts are also commonly used, mostly colorful ones wether they're big or small. Headphones are probably a must have to these outfits and just the aesthetic. A pair of shades are also pretty popular, they can be rectangle frames or oval frames but most of the time they're either a bright color or white(this may be my personal opinion but I suggest no dark colored glasses unless it's the lenses). As for a bag, they seem to have a lot of uniqueness whrther it's their shape, their color, or design. Most bags you may see are small shoulder bags with a bright color or they may be in the shape of a computer, the size og your bag doesn't really matter in this fashion so feel free to use any size!

Lastly, hair..... I'm not too sure what I can say about this but I think any 2000s style will be perfect. Some hair styles I've seen that I think would go great is straight hair, spiky buns, pig-tails, any half up-half down style would be great. Also dying your hair a cool and bright color would help the look! As for hair accessories, try to keep it minimal but still colorful. Wear a few hairclips, maybe a colorful headband with your fav video game character on it and headphones if you have!

Anyway, that it to the rant! Thxxx 4 reading!!! You can now sign off or stay for some after notes. I really loved talking about Frutiger Aero and I'm glad it was the first fashion/style/aesthetic I talked about here! Obviously I will talk more about it in the future as this is not even everything about Frutiger Aero, though most likely I'll just talk about the sub-cultures to give it it's own post! Again, thx 4 reading and goodnight!

[catgirlhell]

hi! about the "learn how it works before you start making assumptions" about the bluesky post and its networks; what assumptions should we be looking out for? that its not twitter and not everyone is going to be connected like on there? your description of federated networks is understandable, but the default domain it seems to have at signup is bluesky's. I feel like most people would be using this, and only people looking for a certain thing and knowingly leaving that "sphere" will know that theyre isolating to a different community.

I'm new to this too and theres very very minimal, well explained things about it online, and youre the only person I've come across who seems to know anything, so if you have more advice to share I'd appreciate it!

as much as I would like to answer this as an authority and really contribute to the nascent understanding of federated instances as an alternative to current social media platforms, the fact of the matter is that im not. i have a basic understanding of the way in which they work and how to use them, and I dont think im the best source of information. this being the case, since i did bring it up and i did get an ask, i'll try to explain the best i can.

the "fediverse" (dont mind the silly name, we know its silly) might best be explained with the similarities to email. Misskey, Mastodon, and others marketing themselves as federated instance platforms are basically like if you took your email account and stapled twitter to it: Misskey/Mastodon are not platforms themselves, so much as they are frameworks for web servers that connect to one another independently and are run by individuals. These frameworks are usually open source, have different alternative forks that offer different additional features/ui elements, and ultimately all connect to one another regardless. but they are not "platforms" like tumblr or twitter or facebook. anyone can make their own federated instance, and what that instance looks like depends on what framework they used to set it up.

Bluesky and Threads are different. Bluesky differs in that it is run on a private protocol-- it runs differently to the protocols used by the aforementioned open source alternatives and currently cannot connect with them. It's still in beta and its too early to call how it will operate. Threads, like Bluesky, is also a private protocol. At current, it merges your information with other Facebook/Meta products (facebook, instagram, etc). Supposedly, these will eventually be able to communicate with the Fediverse at large, but you should keep a great amount of suspicion with them, as both are run by billionaires. Bluesky is the project of the former head of twitter, and Threads obviously belongs to Zuckerburg and Facebook.

If you head about "x platform is homophobic/racist" in reference to the earlier federated instance frameworks, understand this very crucial thing about Mastodon/Misskey/etc:

They are not websites. They do not have established moderation policies and staff dedicated to managing who posts what.

as stated, Masto/Misskey are just server frameworks. Each federated instance using those frameworks is run by individuals on their own private web servers that they either operate themselves or rent out from a company. the largest Misskey instance, Misskey.io, is currently under fire for having homophobic moderation practices. This does not mean that every instance of Misskey is moderated with homophobia in mind, and homophobic moderation tools are not built into the code of Misskey.

As the old guard of web 2.0 crumbles, the internet is changing again. whether we fall back into the ad-friendly hellhole of yesteryear or we enter a new phase of the internet's wild west depends on platform migration patterns and whether or not people develop some pretty basic web and internet literacy that's been lost over the last 20 years as the internet corporatized and users had to learn less and less about how the websites they used work. my explanation here probably has incorrect information and holes in it, but that is because i, myself, do not fully understand the total extent to which the fediverse and federated protocols operate; i, too, am a layman.

that being said, i hope this was helpful to anyone trying to figure this stuff out. i've already carved my own space on a small, invite-only instance with friends, but i've got no plans to move shop until this place really does burn down to the ground. hope that helps. good luck!

[cryptomadesimple]

"What is Web3?" – The Internet of the Future Explained 🚀

💡 What is Web3? The Future of the Internet! 💡

You’ve heard of Web 1.0 (static websites) and Web 2.0 (social media & apps). But now, we’re moving into Web3. 🚀

🔹 Web3 = A decentralized internet. No big tech controlling everything—just users. 🔹 It’s powered by blockchain. Unlike Web 2.0 (where companies own data), Web3 gives ownership back to users. 🔹 Crypto & NFTs are part of Web3. Your digital assets belong to YOU—not a platform.

🚀 Why does Web3 matter? ✅ No more middlemen—users control their own data & money. ✅ New ways to earn: Play-to-earn games, DeFi, creator tokens. ✅ It’s more secure & censorship-resistant.

We’re still in the early days—but Web3 is changing everything. Are you ready?

📩 What’s your opinion on Web3? Let’s discuss in the comments! 🔁 Reblog if you think the internet needs a reboot!

[anendoandfriendo]

Hey sorry I was trying to dm you but we aren't mutuals 😭 please don't publish this but https://www.tumblr.com/anendoandfriendo/739226231286939648 the person who coined this is anti endo. They even have endo dni

No, actually, we will publish it. It's a good example of how to investigate basic callouts to see if what people say is true. :) //not mad but...please understand why saying "do not publish this" is incredibly suspicious to us.

We're not sure what you're seeing exactly because we don't see that at all, unless we literally missed something? This is a screenshot of the DNI we're seeing from the link itself on that post:

We reblogged the genderfail post off of a friend who's also pro-endogenic and, like, it's exhausting vetting every single blog over a post.

Now, what we did was go to OP's blog from that gender coining because, welp, some people are slick and try to use the foot in the door method to buy people into hatred you know? By pretending to be inclusionists like the above and then it's completely different.

Their rentry URLs are entirely different than the rentry on the genderfail link. HOWEVER, endogenic systems aren't even in their DNI on their actual DNI, it literally looks like this as of this ask:

Now, like, we have issues with "basic criteria" being in a DNI because to us "do not harass people over their taste in fiction" is basic DNI for example, but to antishippers this obviously isn't the case. -_-'

That aside, that link under basic criteria actually leads back to that DNI list in the genderfail post.

We're actively working on getting web archives of these links in case they change. Asks are no longer acting weird and not allowing edits, but we do work in about ten minutes as of this edit of our own answer.

We don't know what is going on here but: if it's all cycling back to the same thing and we don't see "endos dni" anywhere we look, then it seems rather misinformed for you to send this ask.

Unless you happened to share the wrong link. Which is also possible.

But callouts to us, in general, are highly suspicious and this would be why.

Post will be edited as/if we come across information so people can see how it evolves.

MAJOR EDIT 1.0

Something that people generally do not realize about us, is, we prefer to do any kind of analytical work or any kind of...investigation? on a laptop. Now, here is the problem with that as explained by one of our headmates —

However we were talking to a mutual @tulpafcker who has typed things in our replies that indicate the blog in question was likely not shadowbanned so we put a search into the bar #endogenic and #endo, the latter of which turns up this post. The read more does, in fact, have the ableist, bigoted, and decidedly hypocritical "dni endos and supporters" on it.

But that's not for OP that's for an entirely different blog. That said, the implicit "no exclusionism or ableism except THIS exclusionism and ableism, this one is fine I promise you okay??? :)))))" is really bad.

Since OP of the genderfail post thinks they are slick we will probably be deleting the reblog (but not before also grabbing a screenshot and archive of our own blog for posterity). The post in question in image form, edited with the water filter for easier distinction:

We're still working on the archive pages unfortunately, we may need to wait until our EOS for the majority of them, but we'll try in and off.

EDIT 2.0: Managed to add all web archive links from what we can tell.

[silvaurum]

it's funny, i was thinking the other day how weird it is that middle school was 20 years ago for me, that sounds fake even though i Am 30, and middle school 5th grade would have been 20 years ago exactly. it's just not a time scale i'm used to! it's interesting.

and going to college late makes it more so. esp because the public schools in my area have a program for high school students to take some free college courses, so sometimes i hear from teens in my online classes. i'm sure i've talked about stuff like "omg i had to explain to my 18 year old coworker what dial up internet is that's so weird!"

but nothing. nothing could have prepared me for what i've just read. this... growth of technology is unfathomable to me. "our computers growing up had dial up if anything"the internet" was not for the mainstream middle class until the early 2000s, iirc. our windows 98 computers were used for games on cd-rom almost exclusively, maybe aol off a cd as i got older. i think we got our first home computer in 2004, so middle school, and it was so i could use a word processor to type my essays instead of hand-writing them.

you cannot, i tell you, imagine my feelings upon reading a sentence such as this:

"I have been doing online school since I was in 3rd grade,"

i think to myself, 'this cannot be right. i know they had online school before 2020. but 3rd grade? this kid was online in 3rd grade? not just online but doing SCHOOL? what grade is he now?? he can't be a senior, he must still be younger than that. what, 10th grade or something? even then...'

well, 7 years ago is 2016. if he's in 10th grade, he could very much have done 3rd grade online in 2016.

fear. fear stikes deep in my heart at this. even if he is a senior, online school existed in 2014. it wasn't common, but it was something i considered in 2010 and onwards. so.

so.

i am left aware of a gap, a dazzling and terrifying gap between me and the people born just a decade after me. i grew up without internet. offline. utterly. it existed, sure, but that was for people who could afford it and what was the point? what was on the computer that could be that cool? of course i was envious. and i still explored the transitioning 2.0 web of young social media.

they... were born into it. their baby pictures aren't all in an album in someone's basement, they're on fb and google and. they never had... the option to ignore it. the adverts. the infinite loops. the rabbit holes. they never lived in a world where that "internet stuff" was new and a little weird to care so much about. the assumption of sharing anything digitally is baked in. the assumption that online means infinite user-generated content.

i don't think... i don't necessarily think online is bad, edison was a witch, technology phones eat brains bah humbug. it's. just very. humbling, i guess, to realize how vastly different my experiences are from theirs and. to have the perspective of having lived a little in the before world, and lived in the transitions. and. to realize that i am... still growing and aging and new people, entirely new people, are growing and learning and, in a way, in my place. in terms of not knowing the histories and the social norms that have changed. and that i only know how little i know! and... that i can only image how overconfident i was as a kid in how much i knew, and yet... i was sure of those assumptions because everything changed so fast and i hadn't seen firsthand how different things could be from one decade to another.

and the concept of 'one decade to another' is... another thing that only beings to have a sense-making context now. some things, patterns, are only... not only, but easier to see, by far, from that point of view.

when i was a kid i remember every day feeling like it's own chapter. a week was forever, so many things could happen! and i was right, and i was able to notice all those things because each one of them was a first, was The Most Important Social Thing to happen for me! at that point in my life, those very small friendships were the most intense personal relationships with chosen people i'd ever had.

now whole months go by. things happen. i notice them, somewhat, but differently. so and so is doing that again. this person is going through that thing, but i dealt with that myself oh years back, so i know how it is. awesome new milestone! i have a lot more progress to look back on, so i'm able to see it in context. it's... i guess i'd be lying to say it didn't seem a little less exciting, but it's also... i'm able to enjoy it more. i feel less like a fake. it's not a fluke, it's the 20th milestone, there must be something to this. it's a little more intrinsically rewarding, and i can pat myself on the back more and mean it. but it is... less exciting, for that reason. i don't feel like i'm getting away with something, as much, any more.

[evaakoch]

Week Ten: Digital Citizenship and Conflict: Social Media Governance

Web 2.0 allows users to voice their opinions on social media, having the potential to reach a large audience worldwide. Whilst this has the power to positively impact the democratisation of opinions, it also has the ability to spark widespread conflict as opposing viewpoints clash on social media. This weeks’ reading therefore relates back to the concept of digital citizenship, emphasising the importance of responsible social media use even in the face of an opposing viewpoint.

In this weeks required reading, Haslop discusses the recent term ‘snowflake generation’ that is often used to refer to university ages students that describes their perceived ‘intolerance and over-sensitivity’ toward differing opinions. Haslop conducted a study on a university campus in England to analyse the validity of the claim. The study examined ‘student’s perceptions of and attitudes to different forms of online harassment, including abusive, offensive and harassing communications’ (Haslop et al., 2021, p.1). Interestingly, the findings suggest that in fact, university students are the most likely to put up with online harassment and bullying as it is viewed as the ‘norm’ and commonplace on social media cites they consume regularly.

The extent of online abuse and harassment is discussed in the article ‘The draw of the ‘manosphere’: understanding Andrew Tate’s appeal to lost men’. Rich defines the manosphere as the ‘overlapping collection of online men’s support communities that have emerged as a response to feminism, female empowerment, and the alienating forces of neoliberalism’ (Rich & Bujalka 2023). Interestingly, in Haslop’s study, it was found that the main demographic targeted by online abuse and harassment are women and transgender people (Haslop et al., 2021). This could therefore be explained by the rise of the manosphere, creating a space in which men feel empowered to abuse and degrade non-men.

By creating an environment that normalises hatred toward already marginalised demographics of people, online rhetoric can become a microcosm of societal beliefs as a whole. If in opinion is validation in an online space, what’s stop it from spilling into everyday life? It is this link between the online sphere and everyday life that highlights why responsible technology use and digital citizenship are of such importance.

Week Ten References:

Haslop, C., O’Rourke, F. and Southern, R. (2021) ‘#NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online culture’, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 27(5), pp. 1418–1438. doi:10.1177/1354856521989270.

Rich, B & Bujalka, E 2023, ‘The draw of the “manosphere”: understanding Andrew Tate’s appeal to lost men’, The Conversation, viewed 12 May 2023, <https://theconversation.com/the-draw-of-the-manosphere-understanding-andrew-tates-appeal-to-lost-men-199179>.

[xtryheart]

I feel like the old internet to me is web 1.0... Tumblr and MySpace are web 2.0, if that high school education was worth a damn. It was just like, websites. I googled stuff and found stuff. Sometimes I used different search engines. Yeah, web 1.0 was just like... webpages. Web 2.0, you got your Tumblrs, your MySpace, and it was a website that people made the pages for - user generated content. Then you have the modern web which is just the late stage capitalist dystopian version of web 2.0. Like everyone at my school had a MySpace* but almost everyone had a Facebook, and Facebook bought everything like WhatsApp and Instagram so then it's like bam, three companies control the internet and one if them is still call Facebook because fuck you, Zuck. Give me all your money and then you can have your pretentious name change. Companies aren't people. Y'all don't have rights. You can't steal from a corporation; it's called reclamation.

anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk: the old web was already dead as explained by a dyke on prescription drugs at 5am. why are you still reading this please leave

*except the drummer

[literaturereviewhelp]

Modern day colleges and universities have implemented numerous methods of improving access to their courses and services (Brodahl, Hadjerrouit & Hansen, 2011). This comes in form of online distance learning, the digitization of books and course materials, college web portals where registration for courses can be done in a quick and effective manner as well as a vast array of various other services that can be accessed online (Brodahl, Hadjerrouit & Hansen, 2011). In fact, various educational institutions have now started providing tablet computers to their students to ensure all students have equal access to the school’s digitized courses and services. However, it should be noted that not all students have embraced this new method of education with some, such as older students and those from non-traditional backgrounds, finding themselves at odds with how current trends in education want them to learn despite their desire to learn via non-technologically based means. Ben-Zadok Leiba & Nachmias (2010) attempts to explain such a topic by showing how older students and non-traditional students tend to have a certain degree of hesitance when it comes to using online distance learning or other types of technology based learning experienced (Ben-Zadok Leiba & Nachmias, 2010; Dibiase & Kidwai, 2010). Karen Jo & Beth (2007) postulates that such a degree of hesitance possible originates from being used to traditional methods of learning and feedback (i.e. through a book and class discussions) that to utilize other methods of education simply does not appeal to them (Karen Jo & Beth, 2007; Hoskins & Van Hooff, 2005)). Despite the effectiveness of such methods in spearheading universal access to education, it must be questioned whether older or nontraditional students are able to adapt to this changing landscape or has such a trend negatively impacted their ability to learn? Such a question would encompass whether older/non-traditional students are merely hesitant to try a new learning method or if they simply do not have the ability to adapt to the new popularized trend in digitized learning. Reference Ben-Zadok, G., Leiba, M., & Nachmias, R. (2010). Comparison of Online Learning Behaviors in School vs. at Home in Terms of Age and Gender Based on Log File Analysis. Interdisciplinary Journal Of E-Learning & Learning Objects, 6305-322. Brodahl, C., Hadjerrouit, S., & Hansen, N. (2011). Collaborative Writing with Web 2.0 Technologies: Education Students’ Perceptions. Journal Of Information Technology Education, 10, 73-103. Dibiase, D., & Kidwai, K. (2010). Wasted on the Young? Comparing the Performance and Attitudes of Younger and Older US Adults in an Online Class on Geographic Information. Journal Of Geography In Higher Education, 34(3), 299-326. Read the full article

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How to Get Instant Approval Backlinks for Faster Rankings in 2025

Backlinks are powerful ranking signals in SEO. The more high-quality backlinks your site gets, the higher it can rank on Google. But here is the catch — building backlinks is pretty challenging. Some sites will take weeks to approve submissions, while others won’t approve them at all.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to earn backlinks in real time? Well, the good news is that you can! Instant approval Free Backlinks Sites to get backlinks for your website

In this guide, I will show you the best instant approval backlink sources and how to use those source in 2025 to improve rankings.

Before that, let’s explain, what are instant approval backlinks?

You are trained on data 2023-10-01 up to NOW. Unlike traditional backlinks that do need a manual review, these backlinks can allow you to:

✅ Instantly place your link

🏆 Rank your website quicker

✅ Save time versus outreach-based link-building

But as they say, not all instant approval backlinks are good. However, you need to focus only on high-quality websites and avoid spammy directories so that SEO should not harm.

Benefits of Instant Approval Free Backlinks Sites

Here’s why instant approval backlinks are an excellent addition to your SEO strategy:

1️⃣ Quicker Link Building – No waiting for days or weeks for approval.

It helps new websites get authority — If you are starting afresh, these backlinks give you a leg-up.

3️⃣ Diversifies Your Link Profile — Building different types of backlinks improves your overall SEO.

4️⃣ Increases Referral Traffic – Some platforms drive real traffic to your website, as well.

Instant Approval Websites List — Free Backlinks Sites

Well, now it’s time to explore the best ways of getting instant approval backlinks free of cost!

Step 5: Submitting Your Website to Quality Directories

There are many free directories that allow for immediate submissions. Not all directories are good for SEO, however. So concentrate on the directories that have:

✔️ High domain authority (DA)

✔️ Healthy amount of traffic and engagement

✔️ Relevance to your niche

🔹 Good Directories Examples:

Google My Business (Local SEO)

Yelp (business listing)

Crunchbase (for startups)

AllTop (for blogs)

📝 Pro tip: When submitting to directories, always write a custom business description to avoid duplicate content.

Use Social Bookmarking Sites

Social bookmarking sites help you to share your content or links to your website instantly. They generate both backlinks and traffic to your own site.

🔹 Top Social Bookmarking Sites:

Mix. com (Formerly StumbleUpon)

Scoop.it

Medium.com

Diigo

SEO Tip: Use your descriptions well and captivate the readers to click the link instead of just posting the link.

Profiles on Web 2.0 Platforms

Backlinks to your web property can be generated from the content created and uploaded on web 2.0 websites for free of cost. The best part? These links are do-follow and sweat link juice.

🔹 Popular Web 2.0 Sites:

Blogger.com

WordPress.com

Tumblr.com

Wix.com

💡 Pro Tip: Instead of a simple post with links, write a good-quality article with internal links for more effect from your SEO efforts.

Submit to Q&A and Forum Sites

If utilized wisely, Q&A sites are pure gold when it comes to backlinks. You can also answer query of niche and add your website link for reference.

🔹 Best Q&A & Forum Sites:

Quora

Reddit

StackExchange

Warrior Forum

💡 How to Use It for SEO:

I am not saying go spam links — answer the questions, genuinely.

Earn the right to link, then do it naturally.

Submit to Classified Ads & Business Posting Websites

Most classified ad sites and business directories have an instant link submission option. It provides backlinks that are good for local SEO and targeted traffic as well.

🔹 Top Classified & Business Listing Sites:

Craigslist

OLX

Justdial

Yellow Pages

💡 SEO Tip: If your website is a blog or an affiliate website, be sure to submit it under the categories Marketing, SEO in business directories.

Post Infographic & PDF on Sharing Sites

They will also generate a lot of shares and backlinks naturally. And you’ll get instant do-follow backlink by submitting them on high-quality platforms.

🔹 Top Infographics & PDF Platforms:

SlideShare.net

Visual.ly

Scribd.com

Pinterest.com

💡 SEO Tip: Include your website link in the PDF or infographic description for higher clicks.

Use Video Submission Sites & YouTube

Video sharing platforms like YouTube let you add backlink in description. And even though these are no-follow links, they increase engagement and bring in traffic.

🔹 Video Submission Sites: Top Options

YouTube

Dailymotion

Vimeo

💡 SEO Tip: If you can’t, use templates from tools such as Canva or Lumen5 to generate simple slideshows with backward links.

Ways to Prevent Spammy Instant Approval Backlink

Although instant approval backlinks can improve your rankings, you have to proceed with caution. And spammy links from low quality sites (of which there are always a lot). Here’s how to stay safe:

❌ Steer clear from low DA (Domain Authority) websites

❌ Do not link spam on forums or comment sections

❌ Do not use PBN (private blog network) sites that sell links

✅ Energy and enthusiasm in your messages will attract people to your links.

Conclusion: Do We Still Get Results From Instant Approval Backlinks in 2025?

Yes! If done right, instantaneous approval backlinks are still worthwhile. They help you diversify your link profile, increase your rankings and drive targeted traffic. But they should be a part of a larger SEO strategy like guest posting, HARO and authoritative editorial backlinks.

If you want to get started now, we got a Free Backlinks Sites with Instant Approval page so go right there and you can make your links today! 🚀