Digital Diaries

Well in China, the Government has implemented what is known as the ‘Great Firewall’ (originally known as the Golden Shield Project), which is an internet surveillance and censorship project that acts as an attempt to block the people in China from accessing politically sensitive information (Anti, 2012).

Here, watch this:

For those of you that didn’t watch the video, you must be wondering how exactly, do they do this? Well they block people from accessing certain websites through numerous strategies. This includes:

DNS (Domain Name Server) Poisoning: when a URL is entered that the Government doesn’t want them to access, the DNS can make them inaccessible by redirecting them to a different page or not responding.

Blocking IP Addresses

Blocking sensitive keywords in URLS

Resetting Connections

Scanning web page content to determine it’s acceptability

(And these are just some of the ways that the Great Firewall works (Hoffman 2013)).

The websites they block include:

Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Wordpress.

News sites including New York Times, BBC, Dailymotion, Wikipedia.

Search Engines like Google & Yahoo.

Online work tools & miscellaneous use = Google Drive, Google Docs, Flickr. (Millward, 2014). 

Fun Fact, in 2010, approximately 350 million pieces of information, including images, text, and videos were blocked on the Chinese web (Synthesio, 2013).

Despite these restrictions, China actually has the largest number of active social media users worldwide, with over approximately a massive 650,000 users (Chiu, Lin & Silverman 2012; Jamie 2015). I mean, can you imagine that, over 650,000 people do not have access to sites like Facebook which many of us depend on on a daily basis, or Google, which is pretty much a life saver for all of us I’m sure.

So you must now be wondering what they use if they do not use the social networking sites that we use. In China, they have an extensive amount of alternative sites that can be seen as equivalents to the ones that you and I utilise (Chen 2013, pp. 2-4). Some of these include:

Source: (Meredith 2013).

In addition to these sites, some users in China have found other ways of bypassing the great firewall, however, they do risk a great chance of getting caught. I know I said Facebook was blocked in China, but let’s just say that this is not necessarily the case for all of its citizens... Let me show you why:

Source: (Hedencrona 2013).

I guess they’re not all missing out are they!

Evidently, China’s social media realm is quite different to that of ours. The great firewall has brought about much restriction on the way in which they can access and utilise certain websites, arguably isolating them from the global social media sphere. However, as addressed, they do have their own social media sites in which they use that can be seen as equivalents to the major networking sites we use, but ultimately, they remain somewhat disconnected on a global spectrum.

References:

Anti, M, Ha, TH & Zurawell, J 2012, Behind the Great Firewall of China, TED, viewed 16 May 2017, < https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_anti_behind_the_great_firewall_of_china/transcript?language=en>.

Chen, W 2014, Taking stock, moving forward: the Internet, social networks and civic engagement in Chinese societies, Information, Communication & Society, Vol.17, No.1, pp.1-6, viewed 16 May 2017.

Chiu, C, Lin, D & Silverman, A 2012, China’s social-media boom, McKinsey and Company, viewed 16 May 2017, <https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-6273096-dt-content-rid-34296541_2/courses/2017-HS1-MDA20009-220271/McKinsey-Chinas-Social-Media-Boom1_2012.pdf>.

Hedencrona, S 2013, ‘55% of Chinese Facebook Users Access Via Proxy Servers’, Globalwebindex, 25 September, viewed 16 May 2017, < http://blog.globalwebindex.net/chart-of-the-day/55-of-chinese-facebook-users-access-via-proxy-servers/>.

Hoffman, C 2013, ‘How the “Great Firewall of China” Works to Censor China’s Internet’, How-To Geek, 2 May, viewed 18 May 2017, <https://www.howtogeek.com/162092/htg-explains-how-the-great-firewall-of-china-works/>.

Jamie 2015, ‘2015 China Social Media Statistics and Trends Infographic’, Make a Websitehub, 25 January, viewed 16 May 2017, < https://makeawebsitehub.com/chinese-social-media-statistics/>. 

Meredith, J 2013, Social Media and Censorship in China, Synthesio, viewed 17 May 2017, <http://www.synthesio.com/blog/social-media-and-censorship-in-china-2/>.

Millward, S 2014, ‘Oh, Big Brother: you won’t believe how many sites are now blocked in China’, Tech In Asia, 26 September, viewed 16 May 2017, < https://www.techinasia.com/list-of-websites-blocked-in-china-by-great-firewall>.

For something that was once so socially limited and un-advanced, gaming has essentially become a concept that has captivated the social world (Baek, Ko & Marsh 2014, pp. 4-6). Through the use of the world wide web, many gaming companies have been able to offer its users to connect with others through one simple thing – the internet (Graham 2012, pp. 1-2). Consoles such as Playstations and Xbox have evolved greatly over time, and after multiple generations, players are now able to play these consoles in an online mode with other players, both friends and strangers, granted that the game their playing offers online play, which most gaming organisations have already enabled particularly in today’s ever-increasing online craze (Gilbert 2016; Moss 2013). Evidently enhancing social communication more than ever before.

Taking it to the next level, many game producers have now sought the use of social networking sites to help boost their business and seek to attract a larger user-base following, and what better social networking site to use than Facebook?! (Graham 2012, p. 1). With approximately 1.94 billion active users (as of March 2017), who wouldn’t want to partner with them to promote their game (Statista 2017)? A great example of game producers who have done such include Zynga (who created Farmville, Mafia Wars and Zynga Poker), and the creators of Candy Crush, King, which I myself plead guilty to playing connected through Facebook (Graham 2012, p. 1). I’m sure you’re guilty of it too. As such, both these gaming companies alongside many others, have found themselves thriving in success leeching off the advantages offered by Facebook and other major social network sites (Garside 2014; Stuart 2014).

Source: Candy Crush Saga Facebook.

So if social gaming has positive repercussions for gaming businesses, and has opened up a new realm of connecting, enabling us to form new relationships with others online through a means other than actual social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, what’s the big deal?

There has been so much talk about how the gaming industry has been a “boys club.” A thing that boys do and boys play, not girls. This stereotypical view that has been greatly contested and refuted by many of the female gamers in today’s society, which many males are not happy about. #Gamergate is an online movement aimed at ‘protecting’ the gamer ‘identity’ by attacking those who are perceived as breaching the so-called “ethics” in video game journalism (Jason 2015). Females are indeed, are a specific target for these Gamergate advocates, which with the use of social media and the internet, have been able to gather a large following and the interest of many gamers to participate in what they believe is upholding the traditional gamer identity (Hathaway 2014). Zoe Quinn, a female game developer, became a victim to this Gamergate nonsense, when her ex-boyfriend decided to publicly blog about all aspects of her personal life, in an attempt to destroy her reputation (Hathaway 2014). Of course with social media, it’s now easier than ever for people to access these things and begin talking. In fact, Gamergate started after this incident with Quinn (Jason 2015). As such, she became subject to constant online abuse, harassment, and was even confronted with death threats on all of her social media, and because all of this was public, and online, on social media, it affected her personal and work life greatly.

It’s a shame that some people feel the need to put a gender to the face of the gaming industry, I mean, why can’t we all just enjoy it?

Nevertheless, social media has brought upon great benefits to the world of gaming, but I guess with all things good, comes bad.

References:

Baek, Y, Ko, R & Marsh, T 2014, Trends and Applications of Serious Gaming and Social Media, Springer, Springer Link.

Garside, J 2014, ‘How King Digital Entertainment’s CEO conquered the gaming world’, The Guardian, 6 June, viewed 9 May 2017, <https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/06/king-digital-entertainment-ceo-riccardo-zaconni>.

Gilbert, B 2016, ‘PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners can finally play online games together’, Business Insider Australia, 15 March, viewed 9 May 2017, <https://www.businessinsider.com.au/microsoft-opens-xbox-one-online-play-to-sony-pc-2016-3>.

Graham, W 2012, Beginning Facebook Game Apps Development, Apress, Safari ProQuest.

Hathway, J 2014, ‘What Is Gamergate, and Why? An Explainer for Non-Geeks’, Gawker, 10 October, viewed 10 May 2017, <http://gawker.com/what-is-gamergate-and-why-an-explainer-for-non-geeks-1642909080>.

Jason, Z 2015, ‘Game of Fear’, Boston Magazine, May, viewed 10 May 2017, <http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2015/04/28/gamergate/>.

Moss, S 2013, ‘The PlayStation 4 Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Paid PS+ Online, Hardware, Games, News and More’, PlayStationLifeStyle.net, 17 June, viewed 9 May 2017, < http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2013/06/17/the-ultimate-playstation-4-guide-paid-ps-online-hardware-games-news-and-more/>.

Statista 2017, Number of monthly active Facebook users worldwide as of 1st quarter 2017 (in millions), Statista, viewed 5 May 2017, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/>.

Social media has been used in many different ways, across many different health organisations, for many different purposes. Even ordinary individuals like ourselves can get involved. Nowadays, most hospitals, doctors, and health-related organisations have engaged in the online sphere, creating websites and even social media profiles for their institutions, providing all forms of assistance (McCosker 2015, pp. 1-2).

Source: http://www.deerparkmedicalcentre.com.au/medical.html

Individuals are able to use social network sites, such as blogging platforms or more recently, YouTube, to share their own experiences and thoughts regarding various aspects of health (McCosker 2015, pp. 1-2; Milner 2012, pp. 428-429).

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rHNLNDGuh4

Additionally, we have also seen the rise of digital health practices which have made medical and health information more accessible than it has been in the past, through the simple use of search engines (McCosker 2015, p. 1). I mean c’mon, you can’t tell me that you haven’t used google to search about the symptoms of a flu or how to get rid of that banging headache!

Closing in on the more serious health-related aspects, many organisations have taken to the internet to form online health campaigns (Moorehead et al. 2013, p. 1). These awareness raising campaigns address a large variety of health issues such as suicide, depression, men’s health, and breast cancer, and work to provide help to those in need through interactive assistance, providing information regarding the topic, raising donations, involvement in educational and business facilities, and holding special events (McCosker 2017). By doing so, it makes use of the many advantages afforded by social media. According to Moorehead et al. (2013, p. 5), this may include an increased interaction with others, provision to more available, shared and tailored information, easier access to health related information online, and enable peer, social and emotional support, as well as public health surveillance.

An example of a mental health organisation that took use of online resources to aid in it’s creation and raising awareness is the R U OK? Organisation:

Source: https://www.ruok.org.au/our-story

The organisation aims to spread awareness about suicide prevention, and works to provide assistance to all those in need, through both in-person and online action, essentially saving lives.

Source: https://www.ruok.org.au/events

As such, this demonstrates how social media can be used as an effective online health facility, as through the mere click of a mouse, we are provided with a large amount of knowledge, information, and assistance that could be greatly vital.

So if you or anyone you know is in need of assistance, but are unsure of where to go, I encourage you to jump online and I guarantee you will find whatever it is you need to ensure that you remain OK.

References:

Deer Park Medical Centre 2016, ‘Deer Park Medical Centre online website’ [image], Medical Health Services, Deer Park Medical Centre, viewed 8 May 2017, <http://www.deerparkmedicalcentre.com.au/medical.html>.

Gutowski, A 2017, I Am A Victim Of Sexual Assault, 16 February, viewed 8 May 2017, < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rHNLNDGuh4>.

McCosker, A 2017, ‘Pubic Health Campaigns and Communities’, MDA20009 Digital Communites, Learning Materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, 2 May, viewed 2 May 2017.

McCosker, A 2016, 'Digital Mental Health and Visibility: Tagging Depression', in P Messaris & L Humphreys (eds), Digital Media: Transformations in Human Communication, Peter Lang, New York.

Milner, RM 2012, ‘To Write Love through the indie imaginary: The narrative argument of a mediated movement’, Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 423-435.

But how you wonder?

Through Crowdsourcing, that’s how. Crowdsourcing refers to the act of outsourcing a specific task to a large group of people, in particular, the online community, through an open call (Garrigos-Simon & Narangajavana 2015, p. 4)

This is extremely common amongst the users of social networking sites, which has evidently become a predominant means of crisis communication in recent times of emergency (Hammon & Hippner 2012, p. 164). Being accessible by almost anyone, anywhere, the many affordances social networking sites enable its users (e.g. hashtags, commenting, sharing posts, videos and images, liking and/or trending topics) have become extremely useful in spreading awareness throughout the public as a whole, which in turn, has enabled a more efficient, rapid and effective manner in helping the victims of the event itself (Fraser n.d.).

A popular example of crowdsourcing as a form of crisis communication occurred during the 2011 Queensland floods whereby social media, in particular, Facebook and Twitter, were heavily used by many victims, witnesses, major news networks, the Queensland Police, and others, as a vital means of assistance (Bruns et al. 2012, p. 7).

The Twitter hashtag #qldfloods quickly circulated becoming the central means of communication for information regarding the flood (Bruns et al. 2012, p. 7). More than 35,000 tweets of images, videos, direct information, advice and news containing the hashtag were made by more than 15,500 contributing users (Bruns et al. 2012, p. 7).

Number of active users and tweets per day during the #qldfloods. (Source: Bruns et al. 2012, p. 24.)

Types of tweets made under the tag #qldfloods. (Source: Bruns et al. 2012, p. 40.)

Imagine being able to access all of this kind of information from multiple sources during a time of crisis! Convenient hey?! And we have the internet and its users to thank for that!

It’s amazing how the internet has brought about what is now such a vital form of communication and assistance for times of emergencies, and think about it - it could potentially save a life.

References:

Bruns, A, Burgess, J, Crawford, K & Shaw, F 2012, ‘#qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis Communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning Materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, 25 April, viewed 29 April 2017.

Fraser, J n.d., ‘What Happens When Crowdsourcing and Social Media Merge’, Daily Crowdsource, viewed 29 April 2017, <https://dailycrowdsource.com/content/crowdsourcing/1420-what-happens-when-crowdsourcing-and-social-media-merge>.

Garrigos-Simon, FJ, Gil-Pechuan, I, Estelles-Miguel, S 2015, Advances in Crowdsourcing, Springer International Publishing, Springer Link.

Hammon, L & Hippner, H 2012, ‘Crowdsourcing’, Business & Information Systems Engineering, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 163-166.

The internet has opened up many doors for the purposes of its use – entertainment, networking, staying connected, sharing experiences, etc. Sounds great doesn’t it? Well it isn’t always. Why? Because it also enables its users to engage in a variety of uncivil online behaviours, ultimately giving rise to social media conflict (McCosker, Vivienne & Johns 2016, p. 23)

The ability to be anonymous when using various social network sites, also doesn’t help. As the internet has opened up the opportunity for people to build and change their identities online, to act as someone completely different to that of who they are in the real world, and to control how recognisable they are to others, it is inevitable that there will be some who intend to take advantage of these identity practices, to engage in offensive online behaviour with the hopes of remaining unidentifiable (van der Nagel & Frith 2015). Thus, only encouraging such undesirable online behaviour.

But what has trolling got to do with this you may ask? First of all, trolling refers to posting any content that intends to evoke an emotional response from its audience, such as anger or frustration, making it one of the conflict provoking uses of social media that I’m referring to (van der Nagel & Frith 2015). Second of all, it can also be viewed as a popular online activity adopted by many users who prefer to remain unknown, as demonstrated on the site 4chan, which is heavily oriented around being anonymous (Cole 2011, p. 41).

To get a better understanding of this, let me show you some examples of trolling:

Directed towards actress Leslie Jones after the release of the 2016 Ghost Busters movie. Source: (Coy 2016).

In response to Kim Kardashian’s robbery in Paris. Source: (Gillett 2016).

After reading that, I know some of you would have laughed, but for the rest of you, it seems a little harsh, doesn’t it? Well to trolls, that is very much so the point.

So where do we draw the line when it comes to trolling? Yeah, it may be amusing and funny to some, but it can also be hurtful and offensive to others. Although this is the intent of trolling, can these “trolls” be seen as taking it too far? Do people have every right to get angry at the things they post? Or is it okay for them to post it because it’s funny and is just for ‘fun’?

If it has serious repercussions on the target audience, then is it still trolling? If someone becomes mentally and emotionally distraught because of it, then is it still trolling? Or does it then become cyber bullying?

You must be expecting me to answer these questions, but I, personally, remain conflicted on this topic of discussion.

So, I turn to you. How do you justify trolling? Is it good? Is it bad? Or perhaps it is a form of cyber bullying itself?

References:

Chicago Tribune 2015, ‘Computer troll meme’ [gif], Men who harass women online are quite literally losers, Tumblr, viewed 17 April 2017, <http://chicagotribune.tumblr.com/post/124767989866/men-who-harass-women-online-are-quite-literally>.

Cole, S 2011, Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan’s Army Conquered the Web, Gerald Duckworth & Co, ProQuest Ebook Central.

Coy, B 2016, ‘Ghostbusters Tweet’ [image], Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones exposes racist trolls on Twitter, news.com.au, viewed 17 April 2017, <http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/new-movies/ghostbusters-star-leslie-jones-exposes-racist-trolls-on-twitter/news-story/8ad0dffee91d3270e7b2dda324315d04>.

Gillett, F 2016, ‘Kim Kardashian Tweet’ [image], Sick online trolls target Kim Kardashian with cruel jibes after robbery ordeal, Evening Standard, viewed 17 April 2017, <http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/sick-online-trolls-target-kim-kardashian-with-cruel-jibes-after-robbery-ordeal-a3359426.html>.

McCosker, A, Vivienne, S & Johns, A 2016, Negotiating Digital Citizenship: Control, Contest and Culture, Roman & Littlefield International, EBSCOhost.

Mr William Mitchelle 2016, ‘Thinking meme’ [image], meme thinking Meme Generator - Imgflip, MemeSuper, viewed 17 April 2017, <https://memesuper.com/download/33f6278b16a046994ced6280511c905c12dda555.html>.

Rojal 2016, ‘Trollface’ [image], Trollface PNG Transparent Images, PNG all, viewed 17 April 2017, <http://www.pngall.com/trollface-png>.

I, personally, believe that digital activism can actually be even more powerful than that of the traditional means, as it enables additional ways to enhance the effectiveness of its impact on the public, organisations, and political and government bodies, that off-line activism does not. Some of these benefits are:

1. The internet enables a means of immediacy in communication, as once you post or share something, it can be viewed straight away by all your friends/followers/networks on the website of use (Gerbaudo 2012, p. 7). Thus, you don’t have to go to all the trouble of printing out pamphlets, leaflets and newspapers, or using word of mouth, in order to ensure that a few people are aware. 2. Digital activism is more likely to reach a wider audience with minimal effort, particularly with the use of ‘trending’ topics, or hash tags on websites such as Facebook and Twitter (Herbert 2016). 3. Various forms of online advertising can be utilised to spread awareness (Herbert 2016). 4. Event pages dedicated to the cause can be created and viewed by a world-wide audience (Karatzogianni 2016). This creates a sphere for social support, where everyone can connect with each other and discuss viewpoints, ask questions, or to merely show support, which can be used as a powerful source of supporting evidence (Sigal & Biddle 2015, pp. 287-288). 5. Practically anyone can utilise these facilities and bring about social change to their desire – You don’t have to be a political figure, be an expert, have millions of dollars or connections, or possess a tonne of educational qualifications to start your own online campaign, or participate in one (Karatzogianni 2016). 6. Gives those with little opportunity or resources to show their support (Karatzogianni 2016). For instance, someone may not have the money to be donating towards a cause, but instead, shares the website or page of the organisation and likes the page to make up for it. 7. Digital activism can influence those who wouldn’t usually involve themselves with protests or campaigning, as it creates an easy and accessible alternative for them to get involved (Herbert 2016). They don’t necessarily have to get up and dedicate days of their week to meet up with other members of the protest to get everything done, communicate with each other, or to merely show their support, instead, they can do it all from home.

And these are only just a few, of the benefits of digital activism.

I know what you’re thinking, “there’s more?!” Yep. There’s more.

But I also bet that many of you reading this are also thinking that this is just pure ‘slacktivism’ (activism for slackers), and I’m in no way arguing that the use of social media is the direct source of success for a protest, but it is no doubt that its use can have a significant impact on the overall effectiveness of a protest, and if we are making a difference, what’s the harm?

References:

Gerbaudo, P 2012, Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism, Pluto Press, EBSCOhost.

Herbert, E 2016, ‘Digital Activism: A brief introduction’, Linkedin, 6 January, viewed 4 April 2017, < https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digital-activism-brief-introduction-edward-herbert>.

Owen Jones 2017, ‘Facebook event against the Muslim Ban’ [image], Emergency demo against Trump's #MuslimBan and UK complicity, Facebook, viewed 4 April 2017, <https://www.facebook.com/events/359732827741189/>.

Karatzogianni, A 2016, ‘Beyond hashtags: how a new wave of digital activists Is changing society’, The Conversation, 11 April, viewed 4 April 2017, < https://theconversation.com/beyond-hashtags-how-a-new-wave-of-digital-activists-is-changing-society-57502>.

Sigil, I & Biddle, E 2015, ‘FCJMESH-007 Our Eduring Confusion About the Power of Digital Tools in Protest’, The Fibreculture Journal, no. 26, pp. 290-296.

Womensmarch 2016, ‘@Womensmarch Twitter page’ [image], Women’s March Twitter, Twitter, viewed 4 April 2017, <https://twitter.com/womensmarch>.

It is no doubt that nowadays, people will often turn to the access of social media networks including, but not limited to, Facebook and Twitter, as well as the e-version for news outlets, to get their daily dose of news and information, instead of through the traditional means of watching TV, or reading the daily newspaper (Young 2003, pp. 203-204). As well stated by Jericho (2012, p. 300) “Ten years ago, it would have been through text-messaging and email; twenty years ago, it would have been relayed through telephones and television; and two hundred years ago, it would have been through printed pamphlets and posters.” I couldn’t agree more.

I, myself, as a consistent user of technology, have found that I no longer watch TV like I used to. Not for the news, and not even to watch TV shows, as the introduction of online mobile applications and online websites for many TV channels have become my preferred source - And I know I’m not the only one.

Source: http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/pj_2016-05-26_social-media-and-news_0-02/

Additionally, modern day politics have seen the increasing engagement of political figures and social media use (McGoveran 2012, p. 2). The most obvious example of this being the one and only, Donald Trump, and his use of Twitter, which has caught the attention of millions around the world, both twitter users and non-users.

There’s days where he tweets like this:

And other days where he tweets like this:

Source: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

As demonstrated, this opens up a completely different realm in the Political world to that of what we use to know. Political figures can now, on a more personal level, interact with their supporters (and even those that aren’t), connect with the social world, share any political information, share their own thoughts and opinions, as well as provide an insight to their daily life  (Jericho 2012, p. 321). They are given more control over the type of content that is being shared about them, as they can be the one’s creating the posts and responding to their followers (or at least on their behalf by their assistants) (Jericho 2012, p. 297). However, there is always the question regarding where all the professionalism lies in this. Jericho (2012, p. 309) clearly points out the fact that if politicians are seen “[indulging] in too much tweeting”, it may appear as too little work, but if there’s “too little tweeting…they’re not engaging – so no one listens.” So where do we draw the line?

Furthermore, a major downside to this is that although it may offer an efficient and effective, alternative means of expressing and sharing both political and personal information, once it’s out there, it is out there for anyone’s access, interpretation and criticism too (Jericho 2012, p. 309). Online outlets can also be used in a way to defame political figures, and with its ever-increasing number of users, it’s never really a good thing, is it?

As such, social media has become a huge political platform, used in many different ways, but the big question is, is this a good thing? Or should the communication of politics stay out of the online world, and stick to the good old TV-newspaper outlets?

References:

Dailygiffing 2016, ‘Troompa Loompa’ [gif], dailygiffing’s Tumblr, Tumblr, viewed 2 April 2017, < http://dailygiffing.tumblr.com/post/140475500450/video-troompaloompa>.

Gottfried, J & Shearer, E 2016, ‘Growth in use of social media for news′ [image],  News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2016, Pew Research Center, viewed 2 April 2017, <http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/>.

Jericho, G 2012, The Rise of the Fifth Estate: Social media and blogging in Australian Politics, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, ProQuest Ebook Central.

McGoveran, C 2012, ‘Evaluating the uses and realizing the benefits of social media use in politics’, Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 1-14.

realDonaldTrump 2016, ‘#AmericaFirst’ [image], Donald J. Trump’s Twitter, Twitter, viewed 3 April 2017, < https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/842403173742579714>.

realDonaldTrump 2014, ‘Obama’ [image], Donald J. Trump’s Twitter, Twitter, viewed 3 April 2017, < https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/524173207637884929>.

realDonaldTrump 2012, ‘Michelle Malkin’ [image], Donald J. Trump’s Twitter, Twitter, viewed 3 April 2017, < https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/261501761049747458>.

According to Rettberg (2013, p. 32), blogs are websites that are frequently updated and are composed of posts presented in reverse chronological order (with the newest posts appearing first). Additionally, as they are also often written from a subjective point of view, they can pretty much be about anything and everything stemming from the users’ mind (Cross 2011, p. 48). But that’s not it, they also enable video, image and webpage sharing, and as they are also usually of public access, they provide users with the ability to connect, share, and interact with other users as well as non-users, but hang on.. Isn’t it beginning to sound like I’m describing a social network site?! 

Defined as a web-based service which enables users to create a public/semi-public profile within an enclosed system, form connections with other users, as well as view and interact with their own as well as others’ connections made within the system, social network sites can be seen to share many commonalities with blogs – both of which I believe Tumblr can be seen to fall under (Boyd & Ellison 2007).

Image: https://makeawebsitehub.com/social-media-sites/

Essentially, the way in which one uses Tumblr and the features it offers can ultimately establish whether it is a blog, or a social network site, or both. This is such as people are practically free to utilise Tumblr to their complete desire, with the option of whether or not to engage with all of its many affordances – to follow other users or to not follow other users? To reblog and be reblogged by others, or to not reblog others and allow others to reblog me? These are a few of the questions that we can ask ourselves in order to determine whether Tumblr is being used as a blog, or a social network site.

So let’s go back to the question of whether Tumblr is a blog or a social network site? The Answer?

It can be both, depending on how you use it.

References:

Boyd, DM & Ellison, NB 2007, ‘Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship’, Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 210-230, viewed 27 March 2017, <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x/full>.

Cross, M 2011, Bloggerati, Twitterati: How Blogs and Twitter Are Transforming Popular Culture, ABC-CLIO, ProQuest Ebook Central.

Jamie 2017, ‘Social Network sites’ [image], 60+ Social Networking Sites You Need To Know About In 2017, Make A Websitehub.com, viewed 27 March 2017, <https://makeawebsitehub.com/social-media-sites/>.

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