The Unspoken Rule
In a social network, like Tumblr, a majority of uploaded
content is visual, although there is the ability to post notes, questions and
quotes. Majority of the uploaded content also has comments, although these
centre on the subject of the picture and more often than not can tell a story
or bring people to tears. These build up the foundations of the network and the
community through virtual and real events affecting the content posted. Although
the ‘citizens’ of Tumblr seem to have their own language it is very easy to
pick up, especially if you also follow other pages and ideas such as fan
fiction and are up to date on the goings on of your favourite artists and programs.
As Van Luyn stated “Genre is socially based and tells us how
to produce and understand texts” (2013). The only way you can put a genre on
the content of Tumblr is by actually knowing what is going on in that particular
subject. In many ways, Tumblr is similar to a library. As the subject vary by
such a wide margin, it is very easy to get lost in the context of the content.
One the biggest unwritten worlds that the community of
Tumblr lets you know of, is the fact that if you spell something wrong or get a
fact incorrect you will be corrected immediately. This also leads to the rule
of crediting where you get your content. This is very similar to how we have to
reference our sources in assignments at university. A majority of other users
usually shuns those that do not follow these rules.
Another rule among Tumblr
uses is not leaking spoilers.
This is especially a big rule as Tumblr users cover the world and spoiling
television shows and movies for others is a big no-no. This is also evident in
our society as no-one wants to listen to spoilers and tend to stick their
fingers in their ears and hum very loud to avoid
Tumblr is not the usual journal blog or even a blog as it
does not focus on one particular subject nor does it focus on the web or on the
personal life of users (McNeill, 2011). As users keep content focused on
characters and celebrities it is easy to see why it does not conform to the
typical blog format. How can something that is not personal or relates in a
significant way to our lives be a journal? Alternatively, is this just the
fantasy of living online?
References
McNeill, L. (2011). Diary 2.0?: A genre moves from page to
screen. Language and new media: Linguistic,
cultural and technological evolutions. Pp.313-323.
Van Luyn, A. (2013). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives
and the making of place, Lecture 6: Genre and essay [Lecture]. Retrieved from: http://learnjcu.edu.au
Image
Unknown. (2012). Retrieved from: http://www.pennysdaybook.com/2012/10/being-honest-unspoken-rules/
Genevieve, you have presented some interesting point concerning how Tumblr contrasts with other forms of popular social media. However, being a member of the site, I interpret the selection of pictures that are posted by an individual as a sort of self narrative. Although text is not the centrepoint of the site, images fill the role of the communication and expression tool. Perhaps Tumblr is an online visual diary? Do not the most recent uploads appear first? Do the images present assumptions about the individual who posted them? These are characteristics that are common to the diary genre as well as image sharing sites (McNeill, 2011). I enjoy reading your blog because it the way people communicate on this site differs to Facebook in some aspects but parallels in others.
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