To go back to the beginning, I know I made Tumblr sound pretty awful in that introduction and I rag on myself for using it too much. For many users, it's a hellscape of trash that they've been sucked into with no clear way out. And, I mean, I'd still say they're not wrong. I'd still say that Tumblr is a blackhole in which I am trapped. I'd still say that 15 hours a week is too long to spend on that website. And yet...
And yet, somehow, in all that nonsensical garbage, there's an awful lot of value.
Putting together the pieces through this project has made me see that what Tumblr users are doing is not random, it's not meaningless, and it's far from unprecedented. The strange prose and tone of the website did not come from a vaccuum and it is not just for comedic purposes -- the content and community of Tumblr are, for all intents and purposes, a new art movement with a new form of methodical and useful expression.
While dada didn't manage to be the singular, nonsensical art movement that they wanted to be, separate from the rest of the established Art World ™, they did for certain manage to be a community, and Tumblr is much the same. With the "relatable content" on the site, as depressing as it can occasionally be, I know of many users that have found a place to vent about mental health issues, fears about the future, and anxiety about life in a welcoming environment that understands and shares the sentiment. There is a great deal of value in that in a practical sense, and, even when the performance that Tumblr users put on for each other really is just for comedy's sake, there's merit in that as well.
The dada artists also, much to their chagrin (I would assume), contributed a huge boon to the art world by pushing on the limits of what art is. Tumblr is proof that we are still benefiting from that novelty. Tumblr is pushing on what online communication can look like and how we express our unspoken thoughts in prose. In leaning on dada-like qualities, Tumblr users have struck upon a tone that mimics verbal speech and a type of content that speaks to something relatable for other users in the community. Text-based communication continues to struggle with miscommunication and misinterpretation between senders and receivers, but Tumblr is working to create a new style that works around this. There's a ton of value in that.
So, in the end, I return to my blog. I continue to share and post content. I laugh at things that have no right to be funny and interact with a community that I fit in with.
Now though, I understand better why I'm here and why the site isn't just a hellscape of garbage.
In learning about the roots of the artistic absurdity, I feel like I can "read" Tumblr better. I could maybe even defend overusing it now.
So, I have to go.
I have some garbage to share online.
And yet, somehow, in all that nonsensical garbage, there's an awful lot of value.
Putting together the pieces through this project has made me see that what Tumblr users are doing is not random, it's not meaningless, and it's far from unprecedented. The strange prose and tone of the website did not come from a vaccuum and it is not just for comedic purposes -- the content and community of Tumblr are, for all intents and purposes, a new art movement with a new form of methodical and useful expression.
While dada didn't manage to be the singular, nonsensical art movement that they wanted to be, separate from the rest of the established Art World ™, they did for certain manage to be a community, and Tumblr is much the same. With the "relatable content" on the site, as depressing as it can occasionally be, I know of many users that have found a place to vent about mental health issues, fears about the future, and anxiety about life in a welcoming environment that understands and shares the sentiment. There is a great deal of value in that in a practical sense, and, even when the performance that Tumblr users put on for each other really is just for comedy's sake, there's merit in that as well.
The dada artists also, much to their chagrin (I would assume), contributed a huge boon to the art world by pushing on the limits of what art is. Tumblr is proof that we are still benefiting from that novelty. Tumblr is pushing on what online communication can look like and how we express our unspoken thoughts in prose. In leaning on dada-like qualities, Tumblr users have struck upon a tone that mimics verbal speech and a type of content that speaks to something relatable for other users in the community. Text-based communication continues to struggle with miscommunication and misinterpretation between senders and receivers, but Tumblr is working to create a new style that works around this. There's a ton of value in that.
So, in the end, I return to my blog. I continue to share and post content. I laugh at things that have no right to be funny and interact with a community that I fit in with.
Now though, I understand better why I'm here and why the site isn't just a hellscape of garbage.
In learning about the roots of the artistic absurdity, I feel like I can "read" Tumblr better. I could maybe even defend overusing it now.
So, I have to go.
I have some garbage to share online.