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So... what is Tumblr?

When you think about Tumblr as a platform, most people will cast their mind back to when they first discovered the Internet as a 13-year-old highschooler. Tumblr became a safe haven for young people to share their thoughts, loves, hates and interests. Were you a fan of anime, or Supernatural? There’d be a set of Tumblr blogs dedicated to sharing and discussing that one thing you loved.

Reposting, commenting, sharing and posting something again for the fifth time are all ways that allow Tumblr to function like an online community. It doesn’t seem like it - but it’s those little things like giving someone a ‘like’ for that one gif they made about The Good Place and then sharing it to your friends that really defines this idea of a digital community. The community that you build on Tumblr makes you feel like you’re having a conversation with 25 people without having to leave your phone.

But let’s get down to specifics here, so bear with me… if you’re familiar with media theory, you’ll know about Habermas’ public sphere theory. He says that individuals who are usually private come together as a public for the purpose of furthering critical knowledge. 

Now why is this relevant? That kinda makes no sense.

But in actuality, Tumblr is more connected to this theory than any of us realise.

We, as part of the Tumblr community, are a part of something called an issue publics, which is an offshoot of the public sphere. It’s a weird name,yes, but issue publics, AKA issue communities, are best described as groups that gather in online platforms, like Tumblr. In your daily life on Tumblr, you will most likely interact with people that are your online friends, as well as complete strangers. You’re likely to have a private chat with your friends, and will only comment on a post from a stranger. Very different interactions. But it’s this sudden shift in interactions, the movement between interpersonal and public conversations, that really highlights how both in theory and in practice Tumblr is a highly functioning digital community. 

Who knew Tumblr was so complicated? 

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