The virtual community, and also non-virtual communities, whether its the gaming community or a social networking site, the virtual community in general homes a lot of different races, religions, nationalities, and cultures, bringing them all together in several websites and fandoms. Tumblr is one of those social networking websites, and a place with such a diverse variety in users there are going to be different forms and stories of diaspora.
http://www.tattoostime.com/images/257/stay-true-tattoo-on-fingers.jpg
Diaspora is the dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland, term came from a Greek origin that means dispersal (Mung, 2005) . Though this isn't specifically what is found on the website, since Tumblr is just a virtual getaway, though with communities such as LGBT, different religions, cultures and nationalities, that have found solace on the site, it acts as a new home for those, which makes tumblr "A hub of origin" to many of these communities (Kuttainen, 2015).
For example, a few years ago, the LGBT community (i am not apart of this community so i'm sorry if i offend anyone who is, or my opinion is wrong.) was something that was tiptoed around, most people still dehumanized if they were apart of it, with stupid remarks such as "it's not natural" and "it's disgusting" and so on, from my opinion and experience, Tumblr has become one of many hubs for the LGBT community, where I saw many people who were scared or pushed out by their families and friends because of the gender they liked or what gender they identify as, come together and broaden awareness, and also talk about their stories and truly and proudly show who they are, and not having to hide anything. Though even on Tumblr people are still shunned and dehumanized by other communities, or even people within their own because of simple disagreements that lead to insults, wars, and threats which causes certain users and communities to be pushed away from their once getaway.
Reference List;;
Kuttainen, V. (2015) BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 7: People Networks. [Powerpoint Slides]. Retrieved from http://www.learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Ma Mung, E. (2005) Diaspora, spatiality, identities. In W. Bosswick, & C. Husband. (Eds), Comparative European research in migration, diversity and identities (pp. 33-48). Spain: Univeristy of Deusto.
I believe that this blog clearly demonstrates how the social networking website, Tumblr, provides people with a virtual getaway; a hub. Tumblr brings people together and presents them with the opportunity to not just upload narratives, but exchange them. Exchanging these narratives is important in diasporic communities as it allows them to keep their identities powerful. According to Kuttainen, V, (2015), “Narratives turn spaces into places”. This quote exemplifies how narratives have the power to turn spaces, like Tumblr, into places, like a virtual getaway and online diasporic community. Overall, this blog has clearly identified and explained how Tumblr has the power to provide the diasporic community with somewhere to exchange their narratives, which in turn, keeps their diasporic identities powerful.
ReplyDeleteReference List
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au on 12/09/15.