I think Tumblr would be a fantastic character for a novel.
In my couple months on Tumblr, I’ve sort of tried to get a feel for the psychology of this place. Of course, you can’t lump a crapton of people together and expect a cohesive unit - but you can get a general vibe. And on the whole, I feel like Tumblr would be a wonderful, wonderful protagonist.
As a person, Tumblr would be…
- Deeply insecure for a myriad of reasons, but infallible in zher belief that others don’t deserve a similar burden of insecurity.
- Transitionally openminded: Zhe has bursts of unintentional, societally-influenced racism, sexism, etc., though zhe’s tempered by zher desire to be the open- and fair-minded human being zhe sees as an ideal.
- Passionate. A big personality wrapped up in an unassuming body. This often translates to sexual passion, though the idea of fulfilling zher sexual desires seems strange to zher.
- Staunch, unrelenting, and occasionally dogmatic in zher beliefs, which often - ironically - reflect the idea that all should be treated equally … including those with opposing beliefs. (Zhe tries not to think about the fact that hatred of closed-mindedness is still a type of closed-mindedness.)
- Worldly and yet sheltered, stifled by a simple and physical inability to be everywhere zhe wants to be and go everywhere zhe wants to go. Zher curiosity is matched only by zher devotion to the people (and ideas of people) zhe holds dear.
- Fucking hilarious. Also, zhe sort of knows zhe is fucking hilarious. But that doesn’t diminish zher wit and humor, which ranges from stupid puns to biting satire.
- Paradoxical; on a shallow level, zhe hates mankind and people in general, but on a deeper level zhe loves the concept of personhood, of uniqueness and human potential. In practice, zhe tends to like people a lot more than she expects to.
- Deeply appreciative of beauty and the aesthetic, sometimes to the point of obsession and superficiality.
- Immediately and fervently reactive to all emotional stimuli. Zhe has little middle ground between joy and misery and rage, and devotes zherself wholeheartedly and unapologetically to all states in equal amount. This results in zher volatility and oversensitivity.
And, most importantly, Tumblr is…
- far more than zhe thinks zhe is. Far more important. Far more intelligent. Far more impactful. Far more widely respected and loved. Zher humility and unassuming good nature draw people in - and zher thoughtful conversation keeps them there.
