From a Daily Tumblr Updates to a Facebook Post Once a Year: How My View on Technology Continues to Shift

Introductions Are in Order

Howdy everyone and welcome to my blog! It has been quite some time since I have been steadily dedicated to a blogging presence. Though I come from a Tumblr background, my blogging presence has lately been within the confines of canvas courses. I look forward to building my blog up from scratch and encourage the feedback and discussion of my fellow bloggers!

Who Am I Behind the Screen?

Back in school after a 3-year hiatus, I am currently a full-time student, full-time library assistant, and in my spare time a cosplayer/crafter. I can be spotted in the wild at local anime conventions and eating cheesecake on a stick at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. My most recent costume creation included an acorn hat that took watching three Jenny Nicholson videos for a total of about 9 hours to complete. I find YouTube to be an excellent helper when it comes to crafting, whether that be watching 3 hour long videos about Star Wars or helpful videos about how to style a gravity-defying wig. While I find crafting to be a calming endeavor, sometimes my serenity gets tested. For example, when one of my roommates, a cat named Trouble, decides that she wants to join in on helping me paint my overalls yellow. This led me to scramble to make sure my paint is indeed toxic-free, clean a cat who very much does not want to be cleaned, and call my vet friend to make sure Ms. Trouble will be okay. Ms. Trouble is perfectly fine and I can attest that cats do not make helpful painters. 

I have incorporated my love of cosplaying and crafting into previous library programs from my past work in a public library. Currently, my crafting skills are useful at the academic library where I work when putting together monthly bulletin boards. For example, the felt eyeballs I put together for Firework Eye Safety Week both delighted and disturbed the students and faculty, a fun accomplishment I am proud of. 

Picture of myself wearing my new acorn hat.
Image Source: Personal Photo


Picture of freshly painted cat, Ms. Trouble. 
Image Source: Personal Photo


Technology and Me 

I started my relationship with technology early, being taught how to properly type in computer class in middle school. I would finish my exercises early to play 3D Pinball for Windows - Space Cadet. I eventually upgraded to more sophisticated games, such as Nintendogs for a Nintendo DS, and then onto Barbie: Makeover Studio on Barbie.com in the early 2000s. Once I entered high school that is when Tumblr took over the majority of my life and personality. Blogging on Tumblr in the 2010s had a huge impact in shaping my teenage years. While I do look back on it with fond memories, I found that once I left Tumblr shortly after they were bought out by Yahoo I had a great aversion to personal blogs. I have made a personal account on X formerly Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram but they were left fairly unused. I found it much more enjoyable to use as a means of getting updates on friends, finding small businesses to support, and getting inspiration for cosplays and crafts. Then came TikTok and I succumbed to the thing I always told my parents not to do, get your news from social media. However, I do use my library research skills to fact-check and have found some great resources from artists online about combatting AI. Social media can be a wonderful resource for education, as long as you take the time to check the sources you use. 

Now with that background with my relationship and slight aversion to personal blogs being said, I am looking forward to what new skills I will learn with this course. With my blogging skills being limited to my former Tumblr self, I hope that this course can bring me out of my comfort zone. Let's do this!

Photo Source: GIPHY



Comments

  1. NMZumpanoAugust 29, 2024 at 11:52 AM

    What a colorful introduction, painted cat and all! Tumblr was amazing in its day. I'm glad you had the chance to experience communicating in a medium like this and am even happier to see you advocating for fact checking! I'm looking forward to more great posts from you this fall, Syen P.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emma BAugust 31, 2024 at 8:13 PM

    Hi Syen P. What a great first post, your years on Tumblr did not go to waste. Trouble is a very cute kitty, and I'm sure a very accomplished artist in her own medium. I feel like I have a similar relationship with social media and technology. Fact checking is so important but there is also a lot of value in socializing the spread of information that legacy media outlets choose not to cover. Finding a balance there is very important. I look forward to reading more of your posts in this course!

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