literature

How to Survive your First Days on Tumblr

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    The name “Tumblr” holds quite the connotation to the youth of today. Some people hate the website. Some people love the website. It is a rarity for one to have no opinion on Tumblr. The question is, how should one experience Tumblr if they haven’t already? There are key steps to successfully using the website while also not being brought down by the “Tumblr mentality” as researchers describe it.
    First, one must realize that Tumblr is a platform with a lot of flexibility. There is no wrong way to use the website at its core, and the format allows for a large amount of customization of your experience. While Tumblr provides new users with default formats of your blog, called “themes,” one mustn’t feel stifled by these preset choices. Tumblr allows for numerous customization choices that one will surely become accustomed to and in the future use as the website is experienced.
    Tumblr uses a hashtag system, which is the primary way of finding content the user likes and wants to see, as well as advertising your own content to like-minded users. Tumblr prompts its users to explore these hashtags to find blogs who produce content relevant to the user’s life. It should be noted, however, that in order to successfully find content the user likes, one should not search tags that the website recommends. Tumblr has a multitude of posts that are tagged, and more come in daily. To find something at all relevant to one’s own tastes, the user must search tags strategically. If one had an interest in music, the music tag is not the place to go. Instead of the music tag, search “dubstep” if one’s tastes appeal to the genre. This will narrow down results to only posts related to the subject enough to be tagged by its creator specifically as such. Even this, however, still gives a large array of posts with content one may not be interested in. If you have more rare tastes, such as “wave step” or “grind core” one is in luck, as the Tumblr tag system is biased to giving this user the most relevant content when it is desired. It is through this, however, that the “special snowflake” feeling takes root in Tumblr users, which is an affliction that should be vehemently avoided.
    Especial Niveous Lamina, or ENL is an illness that afflicts many a Tumblr user, and takes prey on new users most frequently. The disease is commonly referred to as “Special Snowflake.” Special snowflake is easy to be infected by and can last for years, with a miniscule incubation time. The most trifling result of the disease, however, is that its effects bleed through into real life. A common sign of an afflicted user which can be easily observed is a large amount of pride in topics that are exotic, bands that have a small following or books that just aren’t that great. People that have fallen prey also tend to have a lot of hate towards people who do not have similarly interesting tastes, or really anyone who feels comfortable with liking something that others do. Undoubtedly, especial niveous lamina is not something a Tumblr rookie wants to contract, so it is important to not let one’s self feel a large amount of self-esteem from their interests rise as you begin to use Tumblr.
    Tumblr, at its heart, is a social networking site. This site does not promote communication with people you already know, similar to Facebook. The website cultivates a community that survives off of its users communicating one on one as little as possible, with most conversations had with the website being published to the public. The “ask” system is how this communication is achieved, and is the closest to actual communication you can achieve through the website. The function consists of typing a question, or anything really, into a box and hitting send. In most cases, the person who one is communicating with will then respond. The “question” and “answer” will then be posted onto the blog of the user being asked the “question.”  Therefore, it is important to not have anything of a personal conversation on Tumblr, as anyone can see it.
    The most deadly feature of the Tumblr “ask” system is the ability to be “anonymous.” While most likely added with innocent intentions, this function is used frequently for malicious purposes. Anonymity is the reason why cyber bullying is so frequent. Having a function that simply increases anonymity, as one would expect, increases the frequency and volatility of cyber bullying on Tumblr ten-fold. Tumblr is not a friendly place, and any little mistake will result in hordes of “questions” meant to cripple the user emotionally. It is possible to remove the anonymous function from your own blog, but costs the user interaction with people who wanted to communicate, yet were too shy to do so publically.
    Tumblr is known as a very opinionated website, so this next piece of advice may come as a shock. Do not express opinions. Tumblr is a cruel and unforgiving place, where blogs dedicated to collecting every minor action that could be construed as offensive exist. Anything one says could provoke someone, so Tumblr is not the place for off-color jokes or societal rants. Expressing opinions is one of the best ways to attain anonymous hate questions.
    Tumblr is full of communities, colloquially known as “fandoms.” These fandoms are focused on one specific topic, such as a TV show or singer. What one must understand is that all fandoms are bad, and if you are involved in one you have to realize that people will hate you for it. What the best course of action is to simply appreciate content from your fandoms from afar, and not to get involved. Being an active member of a fandom can easily lead to widespread hatred for you and your ilk.
    In regards to the user’s own produced content, which in most cases is meant to get a laugh or a tear out of those who will view it, be very selective on what it is you are posting. Tumblr is full of garbage users who say things in an attempt to be funny or popular, but instead pollute the website with bad jokes and dreadful “memes.” These users are known within the Tumblr community as “Shitposters.” Being a shitposter is the final form of many Tumblr users, who will post whatever they feel will get them followers or get a weak chuckle out of those who see it. Any user wants to avoid this fate as there is little to gain from achieving this state.  
    The “Tumblr mentality” is a dangerous disorder that can be triggered through use of the website. There are some genes that lay dormant in humans that can reactivate upon exposure to the website, with disastrous consequences. Tumblr mentality is punctuated by a belief that everyone must use Tumblr. With this comes a belief that everyone enjoys memes, and everyone would like to see this hilarious Tumblr post you just saw. This mentality has more profound effects, however, that can be witnessed through the website itself.
    One who has awakened their Tumblr mentality will experience a lack of confidence in their own intellect and researching skills. On Tumblr there is a group of users referred to as the “science side of Tumblr.” This group tends to be young adults who are particularly intelligent or simply know the answer to many strange questions. A common practice of a user with Tumblr mentality is to, when faced with a question, simply ask the science side of Tumblr instead of figuring things out for themselves. This can stunt mental growth, as the majority of Tumblr users are teenagers. Another effect witnessed is a belief that all Tumblr users act as one. As with every website, Tumblr is a place filled with many different types of people. A user with Tumblr mentality will beginning referring to Tumblr’s user base as the “Tumblr community” and assume everyone will go along with what they say if they called on said community to do it. Usually, the only ones who follow this trend are other users afflicted with Tumblr mentality, which leads to a mob mentality which can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. The best way to avoid developing Tumblr mentality is to limit use of the website and interaction with others through it.
    Social Justice Warriors, of SJWs, are commonly associated with Tumblr as there is a large and radical group of them who use Tumblr. The best piece of advice one could have in their regard is to stay far away and minimize interaction as much as possible. The Tumblr SJWs consist primarily of radicals who will go on long-winded rants on how everyone is homophobic on command. The content they produce is almost always an exaggeration of the truth, so one must keep that in mind while viewing SJW posts.
    The dangerous land of Tumblr is one that must be navigated with caution. In general, staying uninvolved is the primary course of action. If you take anything from this essay, understand that Tumblr is not a nice place. In fact, it may be best to simply not experience Tumblr first-hand. Tumblr will change you, whether you develop ENL or not, and is not an experience for the weak willed. If one does so choose to ford the rapids of Tumblr, take the advice of this essay to heart. Do not fall prey to Shitposters or Special Snowflake. Stay strong against Tumblr mentality and SJWs. Stay safe. You have been warned.
Ask and you shall receive Kazia-Kat

I haven't uploaded anything in two years and I return with this garbage

Anyways here have this essay I wrote for school ouo

EDIT: I FORGOT TO MENTION that I wrote this before Tumblr's private messaging update. Sorry.
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Kazia-Kat's avatar
THAT WAS RIVETING THANK YOU