Edit: Yahoo bought Tumblr in 2013, not 2023 lol. I misspoke right at the start, apologies!

In this week's episode, I explore the rise, fall, and recent resurgence of Tumblr— the microblogging site that defined Gen Z internet culture for years. I look at the site's origins, why it became so popular, and the lasting impact Tumblr had on the social media user experience and online trends. I also dive into some of the platform's biggest personalities, like Acacia Brinley, and popular sides of the platform both good and bad, like the pro-ana movement and the fuckyeah blogs.

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Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHeMBN1l45U 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJzJnhs2ghg 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/zh6stb/acacia_brinley_villain_or_victim_the_downfall_of/ 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/zjerml/acacia_brinley_villain_or_victim_the_downfall_of/ 

https://www.thecut.com/2017/05/instagram-teen-idol-alexis-ren-on-being-perfect.html 

https://www.wmagazine.com/story/barbie-ferreira-model-aerie-interview 

https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/54389/1/barbie-ferreira-fashion-style-evolution-tumblr-euphoria-zendaya-charli-xcx 

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/rise-and-fall-of-jess-millers-pizza-empire-20160512-gotftv.html 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/04/08/a-complete-history-of-f-yeah-tumblrs-the-happiest-blogs-on-the-web/ 

McCracken, Allison, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, and Indira Neill Hoch, eds. A Tumblr Book: Platform and Cultures. University of Michigan Press, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11537055.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/laurenstrapagiel/tumblr-says-its-queerest-social-media-platform 

Oliver L. Haimson, Avery Dame-Griff, Elias Capello & Zahari Richter (2021) Tumblr was a trans technology: the meaning, importance, history, and future of trans technologies, Feminist Media Studies, 21:3, 345-361, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2019.1678505 

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/tumblr-has-cutting-and-anorexia-and-bulimia-problem/331358/ 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/kbbpem/tumblr-says-no-more-thinspiration 

https://www.nylon.com/beauty/tumblr-eating-disorder-content-is-on-tiktok-how-to-navigate-it  

https://www.vogue.com/article/2014-tumblr-girl-aesthetic 

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/how-tumblr-became-popular-for-being-obsolete 

The biggest stories on the internet from May 16th, 2024.

Timestamps:

00:35 Sabrina Carpenter’s 25th birthday dress has sparked a discussion about the ethics of reselling fashion

5:55 Taylor Swift files trademark for 'Female Rage: The Musical'

7:55 Sophie Turner opens up about split from Joe Jonas in new interview

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The biggest stories on the internet from May 15th, 2024.

Timestamps:

2:55 Bumble breakdown

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The biggest stories on the internet from May 14th, 2024.

Timestamps:

00:41 MrBeast challenges billionaires to put their money into YouTube content

3:53 The Traitors Season 3 trailer teases that Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will be competing… but it is not all as it seems

6:37 JoJo Siwa says Kenzie Ziegler is her least favourite Dance Moms alum

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The biggest stories on the internet from May 13th, 2024.

Timestamps:

1:05 Hailey and Justin Bieber expecting first baby

3:05 HaleyBaylee apologises for Met Gala ‘let them eat cake’ video

13:35 Celebrity Blocklist 2024

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In this week's episode, I explore the spiritual-adjacent corners of TikTok like manifestation-tok, tarot-tok, psychic-tok, and astrology-tok, and how this content can lead users down a harmful pipeline. I look at how young people, Gen Z in particular, are turning to new-age spirituality to make sense of the world and how the TikTok algorithm contributes to increasingly extreme beliefs in this area. I also share case studies of users who have devolved into "spiritual psychosis" (an unofficial term) after becoming obsessed with this side of TikTok. 

Timestamps:

4:05 Why I wanted to talk about this topic

5:13 Overview of the spiritual side of TikTok

10:30 Explaining “spiritual psychosis”

13:36 Creator case studies

17:44 The role of TikTok’s algorithm

Find Dr. Ash King: https://www.heavymental.com.au/ 

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Sources:

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/astrology-is-at-the-center-of-danielle-johnson-murder-case-but-any-spiritual-practice-can-incite-violence

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-19/what-struggles-led-danielle-johnson-to-kill-family

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/woman-who-threw-her-daughters-onto-405-traffic-claimed-to-be-astrologer-i-team-confirms/3384844/?ref=popsugar.com&=___psv__p_49354925__t_w_ 

https://www.popsugar.com/astrology/spiritual-psychosis-signs-49354925

https://screenshot-media.com/gen-z-news/tiktok-spiritual-psychosis/

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

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/30/tiktok-mental-health-social-media

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/tics-and-tiktok-can-social-media-trigger-illness-202201182670

https://sxustudentmedia.com/new-age-spirituality-and-spiritual-psychosis/

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/17/eva-wiseman-conspirituality-the-dark-side-of-wellness-how-it-all-got-so-toxic

https://www.inverse.com/input/culture/schizophrenia-schizophrenic-tiktok-hashtag-ban

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22832827/manifesting-tiktok-astroworld-conspiracy-qanon-religion

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/12/fringe-left-alt-right-share-beliefs-white-power-movement/672454/

https://time.com/6083293/astrology-apps-personalized/ 

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/01/14/measuring-religion-in-pew-research-centers-american-trends-panel/ 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjbn43/manifesting-is-gen-zs-answer-to-new-age-spirituality 

https://theconversation.com/lucky-girl-syndrome-the-potential-dark-side-of-tiktoks-extreme-positive-thinking-trend-198439 

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22832827/manifesting-tiktok-astroworld-conspiracy-qanon-religion 

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23580200/lucky-girl-syndrome-tiktok-manifesting 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8462234/ 

https://www.tiktok.com/@alliepbackupaccount/video/7357763096598826282?_r=1&_t=8lZJiR5s80o

https://www.tiktok.com/@neomudang/video/7147845030022057262?_r=1&_t=8lkuc1M7w6i  

https://www.tiktok.com/@jasminesgarden23/video/7148037000959085870?_r=1&_t=8lkuep9Adpx 

https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-infant-freeway-homicide-investigation-eclipse-681f9434051fd80187677b2f67787b3a

The biggest stories on the internet form May 9th, 2024.

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The biggest stories on the internet from May 8th, 2024.

Timestamps:

1:00 Kim Kardashian reveals she walked on platform shoes without a heel at the Met Gala

4:45 Are we getting a Selena Gomez x Sabrina Carpenter music collab?

6:23 Raven Symoné tells fans to stop sending wife death threats

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A recap of the 2024 Met Gala.

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The biggest stories on the internet from May 6th, 2024. 

Timestamps:

2:01 Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake

5:14 Harry Jowsey addresses Rylee Arnold romance rumours 

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The biggest stories on the internet from May 2nd, 2024.

Timestamps:

00:57 Bella Hadid announces fragrance brand, Orebella

2:58 TikTok creator calls out Olivia Rodgrio’s team for “stealing” her merch design and selling it to fans

6:50 Instagram is cracking down on aggregator accounts

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