Re:Inside Tumblr’s teen suicide epidemic
by pconner on Tuesday February 24, 2015 @02:37PM
(#9102969)
It's also worth noting that misinformation can spread very quickly. It takes no effort to click "reblog" and then forget about a post forever. On other platforms with this weakness (such as Reddit), there is incentive to discredit incorrect information (you get a lot of comment karma if you do this on Reddit), but there is little incentive to do so on tumblr. Any commentary on a post is not inherently tied to future reblogs of the post, and users can edit the content of reblogs to make it look like that content was written by the post's original author.
Re:Inside Tumblr’s teen suicide epidemic
by striking on Tuesday February 24, 2015 @04:05PM
(#9103515)
Additionally: you don't have to read what people say about you. You can turn off notifications for reblogs (yes, reblogs are the only way to comment on something) and in fact, commenting on something that you disagree with will make it still louder. A reblog causes the number of Notes to increase even if you disagree with the content. So there's no good way to express your disapproval of something.
Tumblr is mathematically biased to prevent feedback from the outside. People who use it rarely change their opinions because of this.
Re:Inside Tumblr’s teen suicide epidemic
by xtrumanx on Tuesday February 24, 2015 @10:52PM
(#9105193)
Reddit and HN allows a great way to express your disapproval. I don't believe people change their opinions because of it. They either decide to shut up about their opinions which they know will attract downvotes or they move on.
I employ each tactic on HN and reddit respectively.
Re:Inside Tumblr’s teen suicide epidemic
by striking on Wednesday February 25, 2015 @08:56PM
(#9110897)
I know that I personally have changed my opinion because of downvotes and discussion on HN. I can't say that about every single person who uses HN, but it's far better than what I've seen on Tumblr.
* Users can self-organize into hashtags, which are easier to navigate and more cohesive than on Twitter.
* Custom blog designs make it feel more personal / intimate, à la LiveJournal or MySpace.
* Reblogs let content spread quickly. Unlike Twitter, there's more flexibility with what and how long this content is. And unlike retweets, reblogging users can add their own opinions / perspectives to what they share.
* Notes, likes, reblogs, followers... provide a metric for the validation of one's opinions.
* The dashboard and blocking system, plus tools like Missing E, let you narrow down the content you want to see and filter out what you don't.
* Emphasis on images / highly visual content which can quickly disseminate social messages and encourages the liking / sharing reaction -- similar to how image macros or videos can easily go "viral".
* No real name policy, and you can easily change your name / switch your blog URL if need be.
* Strong traction in the various fandom communities, which are subcultures in and of themselves and tend to be more receptive to "radical" ideas, as you put it.
Disclaimer: I'm not a Tumblr user; just interested in how internet communities work.