I love a good Tumblr session. I love the art, I love the photos. I love the fact that most middle-aged adults haven’t figured it out enough to cramp my style. I love that I can talk about my passions and post photos of my most recent art piece. Overall, I think Tumblr time is a good time. But I’m glad I didn’t understand it during my angstiest of days. I’m glad that my little brother has no clue what it is, and I’m glad that I wasn’t influenced by Tumblr during my tough times. Let me tell you why.
I went through the typical tough times of a middle and high school student. I have had acne since the fifth grade, and little changed from sixth through twelfth grades. Add in the fact that I went from skin and bones to suddenly struggling to fit 50 extra pounds in my once flattering shift dresses and skinny jeans, and it’s easy to see how glamorous my adolescent experience was. I would sit in my room, wallowing in teen angst (the usual for a 13-18 year old) and I would listen to hours on hours of music and write in a journal (cool, huh?) Let me assure you, the point of this article is not to show you how lame I was, though I’m sure I am doing a good job of that. The point of this article is to tell you why I am grateful that Tumblr was not prevalent during my time of stress.
Today, younger children are going through the same thing, it’s a tale as old as time. But this time, their feelings are being fueled like a fire. You see, when I was going through my angsty days I heard about it in music and movies, and sometimes even in my other friends. But overall, I was a healthy distance away from anything truly destructive. Then enter Tumblr.
Being cool on Tumblr is really cool. It sounds super lame, and maybe it is, but I for one would enjoy having 200,000 people to follow my life and acknowledge my thoughts. You can write down your views, and if people agree, they can reblog them and share these views with other people. It’s a brilliant idea, and it can easily spread positivity and healthy, supportive thoughts. However, when users use their blogs as a forum to spread dangerous messages, the tool becomes more harmful than helpful.
“Trust me, pretty girls don’t eat”
“Slit your wrists and cut your thighs, hate yourself and hope to die”
“I need to kill myself”
The preceding quotes are real posts featured on different Tumblr blogs. And this is why I am glad that I was not on this site when I was going through my difficult times. As an individual affected by undiagnosed anxiety and depression for a long time, I understand the difficulties of struggling with who you are and what you are in the world. I am so grateful that I was not given the opportunity to fall into the trap of these negative and dangerous words during that time. Blogs and posts constantly romanticize the “beauty” of mental illness, and encourage suicide and self-hatred as a means to coping with life’s difficulties. Individuals use their forums as a way to express themselves without thinking of the danger’s that their thoughts and posts can be to others. If a person struggling with self-hatred or suicide or an eating disorder or mental illness sees a post that glorifies what it means to be sick and hurting, then it becomes easier to feel like your struggles are beautiful and full of artistic inspiration.
I want to encourage users to understand the effects that thoughts and actions can have on others. Encouraging suicide, referring to eating disorders as beautiful or exciting or “a way of life”…this is not the way that we are intended to help our world. Try to find the positive, and if you see somebody posting things you find harmful, please consider messaging them with helpful hotlines. Think before you speak, think before you post, and remember that helping each other is helping the world.
If you or someone you encounter online may need help, please call or encourage them to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255.
