I was on tumblr tonight (I post most of my
writing there, as the site is pretty user friendly), and I thought I
might try to find some interesting profiles to follow, as tumblr is a
sort of mix between facebook and blogger. (Never been? Here's mine: http://sinequanonsequitur.tumblr.com/) I was looking for people who post things that I might appreciate.
After about ten different searches (one has to browse hash tags and
not subject matter – they are not one in the same), I realized what
the site is all about: image. There are an unbelievably small number
of original posts. Most people seem to use the site to seem
fashionable to those who might follow them on there. I found one
person on there whose self description made me want to read what he
or she might have had to say, but after the third page of reblogs,
memes, and copy/pasted quotes, I gave up. Tumblr is the hipster's
website. The vast majority on there don't create; they regurgitate
and claim others' ways as their own, and that's what hipsterdom is –
a bastardization of the autonomy of others. Since so many like
copying and pasting, here's a good read:
I never knew that people had so much
time on their hands to waste. The copy/pasting is an inexpensive,
digital way to be a good poser. For those of you who don't know what
a poser is, it's what came just before hipsters in the evolutionary
chain of regression. A poser was slightly more sophisticated, as they
could fit into any group. They would mimic those around them until
the imitated way of behaving became their own. These days, hipsters
have their own sort of image. They took fashion from the 70s mixed
with the Grunge era, eye wear from both the 80s and the 50s, and any
other counter cultural shtick they could think of, and made a new
group around it. They made it fashionable to intentionally be ugly
and seemingly out of touch.
It is unbelievably easy to associate
yourself with the works of great people, but that alone isn't worth
anything. What you're supposed to do is learn the works of those you
consider worthy of your attention, make it a part of you, and do
something more with it. The metaphor “standing on the shoulders of
giants” fits perfectly here. On that site, hash tags make the
bandwagon that much easier to find. The real challenge is to create
something of your own. So many out there might not have anything at
all to contribute, but hey, at least they won't be lonely.
Superficial and empty, yes, but not lonely.
I may end up taking down my site on
there. Either that, or I will stop following anyone on there and
simply use it to publish my stuff. I have seen a handful of
interesting things on account of reblogging and copy/pasting, but the
vast majority is simply a waste of time. Come to think of it, that
type of thing is all over facebook too. I think I just got distracted
by the lack of food pictures and exercise updates. The difference is,
I use facebook to keep in touch with people and tumblr as a means of
expression, and until tonight, I thought it could be a good learning
tool. Yes, I posted a couple of videos on my site, but they are
either inspiring videos or talks from people I admire (and whose work
I am quite familiar with). The one quote is simply a great quote; one
I try to live by. There is a stark contrast between my site and so
many others. My posts might be awful, but at least they're mine.
In the end, even bitching is a form of
expression, but bitching about hipsters and web sites was probably a
waste of time. Nah, this was cathartic.
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