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Men Who Hate Women & The 'Snowflake' Generation.

“‘Snowflake Generation’ – is a term used to mock their perceived intolerance and easily offended nature” (Haslop, O’Rourke, & Southern, 2021, pg 2). This weeks reading,  #NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online culture” focuses on the issues circulating around online harassment and the gender related digital divide. Data was collected by UK students to analyse the impact of online harassment on students and the emergence of a gender related digital divide. 

80% of students were found to have experienced some sort of ‘online harassment’, but what exactly is online harassment? Haslop et all, defines online harassment “as threats or other offensive unwanted behaviours targeted directly at others through new technology channels (e.g. Internet, text messaging) or posted online for others to see that is likely to cause them harm, unintentionally or otherwise” (Haslop, O’Rourke, & Southern, 2021, pg 1420). The authors underline that the high prevalence of online harassment is especially concerning since it can inhibit people from wanting to participate in online discussion, especially women and other marginalised groups. (Haslop, O’Rourke, & Southern, 2021). Women and non-binary students were found to be more affected and targeted by online harassment and thus, less likely to participate in online spaces to reduce the risk of harassment (Haslop, O’Rourke, & Southern, 2021). This ‘fear’ is what has unfortunately lead to a gender divide, which Haslop et al describes as ‘forms of stratification’ (Haslop, O’Rourke, & Southern, 2021). These ‘forms of stratification’ develop in online spaces to solidify inequalities between different online groups. 

Men have dominated the creation of digital technology and digitised environments, which has contributed to the reproduction of gendered disparities in these contexts, for example, platforms such as Reddit, an online discussion forum, have been found to cater their algorithm in ways that prioritise White, Heterosexual males (Haslop, O’Rourke, & Southern, 2021). This explanation/example is enough to understand why women and marginalised groups often fear to speak freely, and when they do, they are targeted, it is because they are involving themselves in a space literally catered, designed and favoured for men. 

Funnily enough, ‘The Manosphere’ was created by men, and consists of a loosely defined network of online communities that are typically male-dominated and characterised by anti-feminist, misogynistic, and far-right beliefs (Bujalkagence & Rich, 2023). The Manosphere perpetuates harmful attitudes and stereotypes towards women, but is accepted as a place that connects ‘lost’ and ‘lonely’ men due to romantic rejection, alienation and loneliness (Bujalkagence & Rich, 2023). The Manosphere thrives off the power in putting women down via humiliation and exposure. For example, doxing, which involves the publishing of someones personal information, is utilised in a way to shame, intimidate and silence women who speak out against their values and beliefs (Bujalkagence & Rich, 2023). These attitudes just contribute to a horrid culture of misogyny, which makes it extremely difficult for women to speak freely in online forums without fear of harassment or even abuse (Bujalkagence & Rich, 2023).

Publics figures, such as Andrew Tate, drive this mentality in groups like ‘The Manosphere’. Tate gained large amounts of attention last year after being banned from using most major social media sites, as a result of  pushing an array of extremely aggressive sexist, misogynistic and anti-feminist ideas, which were intended to stir up controversy and bring attention to his brand (Bujalkagence & Rich, 2023). His ideals consist of things like, women are inferior to men and women should only be valuable for their sexual availability. Tate’s involvement in online forums and his ability to blame women for men’s problems have played a vital role in gaining him millions of followers and dollars (Bujalkagence & Rich, 2023). 

Unfortunately, de-faming or taking away people like Tate’s platforms will not resolve these problems, as someone who idolises Tate’s beliefs will pop right in to take his place. Terms like, ‘Snowflake’ are used in a way to silence women from speaking up for themselves in online communities which have been proven to cater directly to men. A digital gender divide will continue to progress due to the fact men will always find a way to blame women for their own anxieties. As a result of this unequal involvement in digital communities, populations are unable to properly interact with and benefit from online communication, information, and citizenship. 

References

Haslop, C., O’Rourke, F., & Southern, R. (2021). #NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online culture. Convergence, 27(5), 1418–1438.

Ben Rich and Eva Bujalkagence (2023)  'The draw of the ‘manosphere’: understanding Andrew Tate’s appeal to lost men',Links to an external site. The Conversation February 13.

Artsy, A. (2023). How Andrew Tate sells men on toxic masculinity. [online] Vox. Available at: https://www.vox.com/culture/2023/1/10/23547393/andrew-tate-toxic-masculinity-qa.

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Online Gaming Communities: How Twitch Changed Social Gaming

This week’s reading investigates the principles of indie game development in Melbourne, and how multiple value regimes influence indie game creation in this specific environment (2021). 

Within the Melbourne indie game culture, teamwork and community building are valued disciplines that Keogh points out (2021). As an example, Keogh points out that many independent game developers from Melbourne take part in frequent meetups and 'game jams' where they collaborate to produce new games while exchanging ideas and resources (2021). These gatherings give developers a sense of community and offer chances for cooperation and knowledge exchange (Keogh, 2021).

The contribution of government financing and support to the development of the independent game sector in Melbourne is another value regime that Keogh investigates (2021).  According to Keogh, several independent game creators in Melbourne have been successful in obtaining money through government funding programmes, which have significantly aided the development of indie games in the area. Keogh also notes that there may occasionally be conflicts between independent game creators and government officials as a result of the government's emphasis on fostering innovation and economic prosperity through the rise of the creative industries (Keogh, 2021).

According to Taylor (2018), streaming has changed gameplay into a chance for connection in an area limited only by proximity. Communities that grow around particular broadcasters or types of content are at the heart of the online streaming phenomenon. 

Taylor talks about the early days of game streaming, when users could stream a variety of entertainment, including games, on websites like Justin.tv and Ustream. Although these platforms lacked the unique capabilities and community that Twitch would later offer, they helped pave the way for the development of game broadcasting (Taylor, 2018). 

Twitch was accustomed to unique features which set the bar for online game streaming we know and see today (2018). You can assist a streamer by subscribing to their channel, giving them money, and interacting with them in chat by using emotes (Taylor, 2018). These features have created a monetised environment where live streamers are able to make a living from their content, something that prior to platforms such as Twitch, gaming fans would never have dreamt of (Taylor, 2018).

Richard Tyler Blevins, more commonly known as ‘Ninja’ has became a household and iconic name across social media platforms such as Twitch, Youtube and Instagram (Dexerto, 2021). While streaming Halo and H1Z1 on Twitch, Ninja started to build a sizable following. However, it wasn't until late 2017 and early 2018, when he began playing ‘Fortnite Battle Royale’ that he became one of the most well-known online streamers in the world (Dexerto, 2021). The platform Twitch is where he quickly amassed millions of fans and viewers, and his success with Fortnite contributed to his emergence as one of the most well-known and well-respected streamers in the business (Dexerto, 2021). Whilst Ninja’s success can be attributed to his skills, his personal brand also gains equal attention (Dexerto, 2021). Ninja established a unique presence and approach that let him stand out from other streams, and was renowned for engaging with his followers on social media and in conversation on a daily basis (Dexerto, 2021). Ninja's utilsation of streaming services, such as Twitch, allowed him to establish his online persona and rise to the top of the streaming world. He was able to transform his love of gaming into a professional career thanks to his talent and intelligent use of social media and sponsorship arrangements (Dexerto, 2021)

References 

Ninja is responsible for the streaming industry’s success today, 2021, Dexerto. https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/ninja-responsible-streaming-industry-success-twitch-fortnite-1721009/

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

Keogh, B 2021, 'The Melbourne indie game scenes: value regimes in localized game development' (Chapter 13), Download 'The Melbourne indie game scenes: value regimes in localized game development' (Chapter 13), in P Ruffino (ed), Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics, Routledge, pp.209-222.

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How Snapchat's Filters Affected the Beauty Standard.

This week’s reading examines how Snapchat's beauty filters affect women's lives, focusing on how they reinforce Western standards of beauty, contribute to body dysmorphia, and affect viewers' ability to judge the authenticity of selfies (Barker, 2020). 

Snapchats release of 'Lenses' in 2015 allowed users to "apply virtual accessories and modify facial features”, its release was one of the first of its kind and transformed the normality of facial modifying filters. (Barker, 2020). Barker notes that Snapchat's beauty filters frequently lighten complexion, slim faces, widen eyes, and emphasise eyelashes and lips, giving users an appearance that is in line with Western standards of beauty, "the filters have a particular coding towards thinness, whiteness, large eyes, and plump lips that conform to Western beauty norms" (p. 209). Most women cannot achieve this limited notion of beauty, which can lead to low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy (Barker, 2020). As well as destroying self confidence, the ‘lenses’ were also ‘racist and gender exclusive’, and described as the ‘modern age version of makeup’ (Barker, 2020).

Also explored in the book, "Seeing Ourselves Through Technology: How We Use Selfies, Blogs, and Wearable Devices to See and Shape Ourselves," Rettberg examines how the way people portray themselves to the outside world has changed as a result of digital technologies. According to Rettberg, these technologies have created a new type of self-presentation that she refers to as "filtered reality” (2014). 

The term "filtered reality" describes how people utilise digital tools to improve or change how they display themselves in order to present a more idealised picture of themselves. There are numerous examples of "filtered reality," such as the usage of Instagram filters and editing tools as well as wearable technology that tracks and monitors different facets of a person's existence.(Rettberg, 2014). 

Filtered reality has effects on people and society that are both beneficial and detrimental (Rettberg, 2014).  On the one hand, it gives individuals the chance to create a more positive and empowering self-image, which can boost their self-esteem and general wellbeing. However, the pressure to continuously present an idealised picture of yourself , however, can result in feelings of worry and low self-esteem if people feel they cannot live up to these expectations. (Rettberg, 2014). 

Overall, utilising and relying on beauty filters can have serious psychological repercussions, such as anxiety about self-presentation, low self-esteem, and negative body image. It is crucial to be aware of these potential negative effects and to advance a broader, more inclusive concept of beauty on social media. As a generation, we should not be romanticising the utilisation of filters on social media.

References

Barker, Jessica. (2020). 'Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat'. 

Download 'Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat'.

Fashion, Style & Popular Culture. 7. 207-221. 10.1386/fspc_00015_1.  

Rettberg J.W. (2014) 'Filtered Reality'. 

Download 'Filtered Reality'.

In: Seeing Ourselves Through Technology: How We Use Selfies, Blogs and Wearable Devices to See and Shape Ourselves. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137476661_2

Links to an external site.

Dermal Fillers & BOTOX vs. Snapchat Filters in the San Francisco Bay Area | David Mabrie, M.D. n.d., www.yourfaceinourhands.com

Hallett, E 2021, ‘Influencers told not to use “misleading” beauty filters’, BBC News, 3 February.

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Social Media's Unrealistic Standards.

This weeks reading focused on the issues relating to online self presentation and algorithmic visibility. When Instagram first came out in 2010, we have evolved from silly filters and copious hashtags to endless career possibilities, similar to Youtube and Tiktok (Duffy & Meisner, 2022). However, aspiring, or even well established social media creators are faced with the difficulty of understanding or enabling the algorithms that enhance their visibility. 

Content creators careers are solely reliant on the visibility their platform of choice allows them to have. It is a common issue amongst content creators, big and small, which sometimes results in those affected seeking help from their ‘co-workers’ regarding to algorithmic and visibility problems (Duffy & Meisner, 2022). 

A large population of these content creators can be considered ‘Influencers’. Women dominate the influencer category, setting the 'cultural scripts' accepted by regular social media users — most notably on social media platform, Instagram (Drenten et al., 2019). There has been a rise of 'influencer commerce,' with prosumers attempting to develop digital content and garner the attention of a 'following' on social media through depictions of their daily lives in which products play an important role. Influencers are a type of 'microcelebrity' — a type of online performance in which individuals strive to acquire attention and popularity through the use of digital media technologies such as webcams, blogs, and social media (Drenten et al., 2019). Influencer marketing on social media is already a multibillion-dollar industry, however, the large amounts of digital content incorporating product and service advertising are used by brands without remuneration or with little reward (Drenten et al., 2019).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sommer Ray (@sommerray)

Due to the pressures that come with fronting a large online audience, it can be assumed that women are adopting a ‘porn-chic’ self-presentation strategy in order to increase engagement within their account, thus leading to financial gain (Drenten et al., 2019). This ‘porn-chic’ strategy involves women pushing an over sexualised version of themselves in order to gain large amounts of attentions to benefit their brand (Drenten et al., 2019). This can involve the use of filters or plastic surgery in their content to enhance/over-glamorise themselves to an unnatural standard.  “Although related concepts exist, aesthetic labour is focused on work in which individuals are compensated, indirectly or directly, for their own body's looks and affect” (Drenten et al., 2019, p44).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by mika (@mikaelatesta)

The encouragement of unrealistic beauty standards will continue to be normalised due to the glamorisation of content creator’s lives online. Thus uncontrolled commercialisation of cosmetic treatments, filters and editing, together with the encouragement of unattainable standards, strengthens the link between social media and body dysmorphia (Dorfman et al. 2018).

References 

Duffy  BE and Meisner,  C 2022. “Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility,” Media, Culture & Society. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111923

Dorfman, R G, Fine, N A, Mahmood, E, Schierle, C F & Vaca, E E 2018, 'Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing’, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 332-338.

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L & Tyler, M 2020, 'Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention’, Gender, work, and organization, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 41-66.

Sommer Ray on Instagram: “i don’t have to post the same photo 10 times but i want to bikini ~ @shopsommerray.” (n.d.). Instagram. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.instagram.com/p/Crlxm0fvXTX/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

mika on Instagram: “lara.” (n.d.). Instagram. Retrieved April 28, from https://www.instagram.com/p/CkXapy5J7CX/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Influicity on TikTok. (n.d.). TikTok. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@influicity/video/7203445908229573893?_r=1&_t=8bx7fQlYuiP&social_sharing=v1

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What is Slow Fashion?

Brands utilise social media as a way to understand and capture their audiences interests to promote products and build their brand. It is the most intelligent way for a brand to communicate with their consumers and interest them on specific trends. 

Recently, it has also become the best way in promoting their sustainability efforts with purchasers (Zhoa et al 2022). Despite a growing demand for more sustainable products, the market share of sustainable products remains below 1%. (Zhoa et al 2022). As consumers develop more of an understanding of how harmful the fashion industry is and seek more sustainable options, it is so important for sustainable fashion brands to express the right information in their marketing efforts on social media platforms (Zhoa et al 2022). 

Well known Melbourne brand, ‘Mr Winston’ does a great job at showcasing their efforts in sustainability with an online blog in conjunction with social media. They utilise platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to show their audience what goes on behind the scenes, in all stages of production in their items.

 They state - “Our conservative approach in producing small runs of each style in the beginning was what allowed us to test our product, with as little waste as possible. We needed a way of ensuring the fit, feel, quality and reception from our customers was significant enough to produce these. We aren’t in the business of fast fashion & turning a profit won’t take precedent over what is ethical & sustainable in our production line.” (Mr Winston, 2022)

To stray away from overproduction the brand implements scheduled drops with a limited amount of products available to ensure they are adhering to their ‘sustainable production’. The brand is extremely open about their whole manufacturing process, ensuring on the blog that they work with local Melbourne manufactures in an effort to reduce as much waste as possible. “As a company who manufactures, waste is inevitable… Alongside our new manufacturers, we are working to ensure as little of our production waste ends up in landfill as possible.” (Mr Winston, 2022)

In comparison, despite the knowledge and the very public exposure of Shein’s horrid working conditions, the brand generated an income of $30 billion in 2022 alone (Curry 2023). Shein also utilises social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok to promote their products, partnering with thousands of social media influencers and even running runway shows across the globe (Curry 2023).  In one average day, Shein add’s 2,000 new items to its store (Curry 2023), more than some brands would release in an average year.

Shein’s popularity can be of course attributed to it’s low cost assurance, however social media, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, plays a large role in due to the popularity of #hauls on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, that encouraged individuals towards spending copious amounts online. 

There is an app known as ‘Good on you’ launched in 2015 which focuses on highlighting how ethical and sustainable a brand is. It is free and a good tool to use before making a purchase. The app goes into clear detail outlining the reasoning behind each rating, rather than just stating the brand’s policies are ‘very poor’. 

Social Media was behind the encouragement of fast fashion, so why can’t it be the reason we encourage, slow and sustainable fashion? Apps like Good On You aren’t exactly going to change the world but they are the first step we should be taking in creating change before it is too late. Digital Change Matters.

References 

 Henninger, CE, Alevizou, PJ, Goworek, H & Ryding, D 2017, ‘An Exploration of Consumers’ Perceptions Towards Sustainable Fashion – A Qualitative Study in the UK’, Sustainability in Fashion, Springer International Publishing AG, Switzerland.

 Moon, KK-L, Lai, CS-Y, Lam, EY-N & Chang, JMT 2015, ‘Popularization of sustainable fashion: barriers and solutions’, Journal of the Textile Institute, vol. 106, no. 9, Taylor & Francis, Manchester, pp. 939–952.

WHERE WE’VE BEEN, MR WINSTON CO, viewed 29 March 2023, <https://www.mrwinstonco.com/blogs/news/where-weve-been>.

Burke, C 2022, What made Mr Winston a Melbourne status symbol?, Fashion Journal, viewed 29 March 2023, https://fashionjournal.com.au/fashion/melbourne-status-symbol-mr-winston/

Zhao, L.; Lee, S.H.; Li, M.; Sun, P. The Use of Social Media to Promote Sustainable Fashion and Benefit Communications: A Data-Mining Approach. Sustainability 2022, 14, 1178. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031178

Ting Chi, Jenisha Gerard, Yuhfen Yu & Yuanting Wang (2021) A study of U.S. consumers’ intention to purchase slow fashion apparel: understanding the key determinants, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 14:1, 101-112, DOI: 10.1080/17543266.2021.1872714

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What is Digital Citizenship? The use of #Hashtags in Political Movements.

Social media has become the home for public discussion, especially in the case of political opinion. "Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education” written by Moonsun Choi and Dean Cristol, explores digital citizenship, intersectionality and participatory democracy. Choi and Cristol explore how social media effectively enhances political messages, utilising examples like the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Digital citizenship is often considered as a safety concept that is taught to ensure individuals will behave in an ethical and safe manner on social media platforms (Choi & Cristol 2021). Participatory democracy is considered by Choi and Cristol to be the positive outcome of digital citizenship, as participatory democracy focuses on online participation and civic engagement (Choi & Cristol 2021). Through the accessibility of social media, it has become possible for people to share and connect on opinions on a much larger scale. With regard to political opinion and activism, the modern ability to connect with others has lead to the formation of groups that share a desired outcome of these political issues. These communities have gained such positive momentum, and thus have been able to create change through collective action, something that was considered to be extremely difficult in a time without social media. The presence of digital citizenship is seen as crucial to achieve participatory democracy on social media (Choi & Cristol 2021).

Hashtags have become an important factor in joining those who share political opinions. It facilitates participatory activism as anyone is able to contribute to social and/or political movements (Choi & Cristol 2021). The term ‘hashtag activism’ simply describes the use of hashtags on social media platforms to promote social change (Kim & Lee 2022). Activists are more likely to gain a larger community, thus creating a larger possibility to effectively rally support and change (Kim & Lee 2022). 

The topic of abortion is a global political discussion, with the hashtag ‘#ShoutYourAbortion’ remaining relevant despite its creation in 2015 by reproductive rights activist Amelia Bonow (Kim & Lee 2022). #ShoutYourAbortion has since become the symbol of de-stigmatising abortion and a place for women around the world to safely and comfortably share their experiences with abortion (Kim & Lee 2022). The amount of traction the hashtag got is a pure example of how social media movements can facilitate such positive change.  

References;

Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021) ' Download 'Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education',  Download Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education', Theory Into Practice, 60:4, 361-370, DOI: 10.1080/00405841.2021.1987094Links to an external site.

Kim, Y., & Lee, S. (2022). #ShoutYourAbortion on Instagram: Exploring the Visual Representation of Hashtag Movement and the Public’s Responses. SAGE Open, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221093327Links to an external site.

How One Woman Became an Activist With the Hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion (28 March 2023) https://www.oprah.com/inspiration/how-one-woman-became-an-activist-with-the-hashtag-shoutyourabortion_1

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Reality TV and Social Media

Reality TV has recently become the second most watched TV genre in Australia, with 76% of Australians having watched a reality television show at some stage, 41% of those in an average week. From love shows to cooking, game and talent shows, reality TV consumes us more than we would like to acknowledge.

‌‘Reality Television: The TV phenomenon that changed the world’ written by Ruth Deller explores the relationship between reality TV stars and social media (Deller 2019). Deller highlights that with the rise and availability of social technologies and platforms, the topic of reality TV has flooded blogs, forums and message boards (Deller 2019).

There is no denying that television brings communities together, ‘Live Tweeting, Reality TV and the Nation', written by Mark Stewart discusses the use of social media in conjoining reality TV discussions and creating digital communities (Stewart 2020).  Even without the easy accessibility of social media platforms, social groups would come together for ‘appointment viewing’ (Stewart 2020). These individuals would gather as they drew similar enjoyment from viewing and discussing reality television in real-time and a shared space (Stewart 2020). This same theory can be applied to online forums who utilise social media to discuss reality television in real time. 

Twitter is a great example of this as it is where most viewers find themselves engaging and involving themselves in these online conversations. This commentary can involve fan opinions, reactions to a particular event or even acknowledgement they are watching the show (Deller 2019). Many shows utilise this discussion by creating hashtags and encouraging viewers to ‘join the discussion’ and thus increasing traffic regarding the show (Deller 2019). This strategy allows producers to make it look like this is a ‘natural’ part of they content, rather than an intelligent marketing strategy (Deller 2019).

Most reality stars often encounter the issue of how to utilise social media to build their careers, as there is an increased expectation they have a large online presence prior and post the show (Deller 2019). For shows such as Love Island, where participants are not allowed to bring their phones into the show, many participants rely on family and friends to build their online platform throughout the show. Majority of these participants find that after the show has finished, they have a large following.

Love Island UK star Molly-Mae Hague is a clear example of this. Hague starred on the 5th season of the show in 2019 and despite not winning the show has become one of the most successful participant of Love Island ever. Joining the ‘villa’ with around 100,000 instagram followers, Hague finished the show with 2 million and immediately went on to sign a 500,000 pound deal with brand ‘Pretty Little Thing’. Hauge has worked with major brands, whilst also creating many of her own. Her current net worth sits around 6 million pounds. 

Source: Splash News

References; 

Smith, R 2022, Molly-Mae’s life since Love Island - huge net worth to excruciating health woes, mirror, viewed 28 March 2023, <https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/molly-mae-hagues-life-after-27253467>.

‌News and Reality TV are the most popular TV genres - Roy Morgan Research, viewed 28 March 2023 https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/news-and-reality-tv-are-the-most-popular-tv-genres

ACMA, 2022, ACMA releases reality TV research and MAFS investigation findings, viewed 28 March 2023, https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2021-10/acma-releases-reality-tv-research-and-mafs-investigation-findings#:~:text=Reality%20television%20is%20one%20of,every%20episode%20of%20a%20program.

Deller, Ruth A, (2019) Extract:  'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media' Download 'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media'in Reality Television: The TV Phenomenon That Changed the World (Emerald Publishing). 

Stewart, Mark (2020) ‘Live Tweeting, Reality TV and the Nation’  Download ‘Live Tweeting, Reality TV and the Nation’23(3) International journal of cultural studies 352.

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Love The Skin You're In - Feminism on Tumblr

Social media enables people to connect and/or congregate regarding a particular subject. When we imagine social media, we usually envision more common platforms we see and use each and every day, for example, Instagram, Facebook and of course TikTok. 

Although not at the top of most lists, Tumblr, a social media platform launched in 2007, has around 3.7 million users in Australia alone. Tumblr utilises a mix of traditional webblogs and social networking sites to form what we recognise as the social media platform (Reif, Miller and Taddicken 2022). What makes Tumblr unique to its competitors is the fact it does not utilise personal profiles or ‘networks’ for a user to identify themselves, however it is completely anonymous unless a user decides to make themselves known (Keller 2019, p. 7). This anonymity and level of privacy the platform allows elucidates as to why the platform became home to many teenage feminists (Keller 2019, p. 7).  

In contrast to Tumblr, social platforms like Facebook do not offer this same confidence in anonymity. Regarding feminist opinions, many individuals said they were selective in what they chose to post on Facebook due to the reaction they might receive from family and friends, due to the public nature of the platform. This of course results in a lack of opinion and speech on important topics, such as feminist politics. Platforms like Tumblr that offer this somewhat secretive persona allow people who feel this judgment from ‘friends’ to speak comfortably and freely about topics that matter (Keller 2019). 

“Love the Skin You‘re In” (Reif, Miller and Taddicken 2022) discusses body positivity, selfie-taking and the online community that was created under the ‘body positive’ hashtag on Tumblr. Due to the media’s idealised representation of the female body, many young women are heavily editing and presenting a more socially accepted version of themselves to social media platforms, in an effort to seek positive validation and acceptance (Reif, Miller and Taddicken 2022). The #bodypositive movement on Tumblr encouraged women to stray from these unachievable standards and allowed them to feel empowered regardless of societal standards. (Reif, Miller and Taddicken 2022). Although the hashtag mainly was situated around female empowerment, Tumblr’s acceptance toward marginalised communities lead to the hashtag being flooded with posts regarding the LGBTQ+ community (Reif, Miller and Taddicken 2022).

References;

Keller, J 2019, ‘ “Oh, She’s a Tumblr Feminist”: Exploring the Platform Vernacular of Girls’ Social Media Feminisms’ , Social Media + Society, vol 5, issue 3

Anne Reif, Insa Miller & Monika Taddicken (2022) “Love the Skin You‘re In”: An Analysis of Women’s Self-Presentation and User Reactions to Selfies Using the Tumblr Hashtag #bodypositive Download “Love the Skin You‘re In”: An Analysis of Women’s Self-Presentation and User Reactions to Selfies Using the Tumblr Hashtag #bodypositive, Mass Communication and Society, DOI: 10.1080/15205436.2022.2138442Links to an external site.

Zest Photography. (2022). 7 Ways to feel more Body Positive. [online] Available at: https://www.zestphotography.com.au/blog/7-ways-to-feel-more-body-positive.