Things That I Have Noticed While Lurking On Tumblr

[formerlydf]

I don't know if this just occurs in the specific tumblrs I lurk on (tumblrs which I lurk? where I lurk? grammar should hurry up and catch up to the internet), or if it's something that I've just started noticing a lot more with tumblr (because it allows for different modes of sharing and visibility than LJ, seriously, I could talk about this stuff

Comments

[formerlydf]

>:(

[annon_of_rhi]

Get tumblr! Tumblr's the best! I'm wantstothrill on there.

Although apparently I'm out of the loop, because what the heck is "sromance"? What does 'Epic Female-Identified Platonic Love Affair' mean? In fact, I am thoroughly confused by this post. My reading comprehension skills are obviously waaaaaaay down today.

I WOULD READ THAT THESIS AND ENJOY IT A LOT. Is all I'm saying.

[formerlydf]

Ahahahaha, "sromance" is a term some people coined to be the female version of a bromance? Like in Star Trek or Sherlock or whatever, where you've got these two men whose relationship with each other is the most important in both of their lives - the sort of thing where, you know, in fandom we immediately go "OMG THEY'RE TOTALLY DOING IT," but the canon is like "NOPE THEY'RE TOTALLY STRAIGHT," and so technically it still has to be considered a platonic relationship. In the media, these types of intense platonic relationships - the "epic platonic love affairs," as I refer to them - are often between two men, and fandom-wise we tend to gravitate to them, I think. But between the fans, I sometimes see similar sorts of relationships, usually among people who identify as female, so that, say, Fan A will talk frequently about much they love Fan B, how much B means to her, how they know each other better than anyone, and B will say the same about Fan A

[annon_of_rhi]

Ah, okay! ....Where did they get the 's' part from?

Oh! No, now I totally get what you're saying, Yes, I've seen that around all the time! Quite a lot in the Glee fandom, actually. Tumblr is kind of a weird place, fandom wise.

[daisysusan]

You should really use that URL. Also a thesis about bromance would be really interesting, because it's a really intriguing societal construct.

(I am notwritteninpencil on tumblr, by the way.)

[formerlydf]

Either that or nonimaginaryfriend, or something. Man, it's been so long since I bothered naming something! I've been formerlydf for years, it's so weird even thinking about switching to another. I mean, I guess I could just as easily take that as a url, for convenience's sake...

And isn't it fascinating? And it's a societal construct with this huge historical background, although according to my professor, the really traditional one is a white hero with a non-white sidekick, and them riding around having adventures or something. It just dominates so much of our media, though. You said you were thinking about writing about fandom, right?

[daisysusan]

I was daisysusan on tumblr at first and then changed. Maybe I should change again, just to mix it up. (That is how tumblr works, it is all very changeable.)

Yesss. I've obviously seen the traditional version floating around, but it seems like the two-white-dudes-who-hang-out-and-do-shit version is becoming pretty common as well. (See: almost all USA shows, except Psych which I believe follows the white hero and non-white sidekick model, though I don't actually watch it.) And it's crazy how much it shows up in. Yeah, I am! I'm only a sophomore now so I have a while before I need to nail down a thesis topic, but I'd love to do something about the sociology of fandom.

[formerlydf]

Ugh, tumblr is such a fascinating form of social media. [Sometimes I marvel at the fact that I actually thought a sentence like "tumblr is such a fascinating form of social media," and then I wonder if anthro warped me or if it called to something already warped inside me that was fascinated by things like the way media shapes the growth of content.]

Oh, yeah, it's definitely shifted focus to the "two white dudes" version, and I'm honestly kind of curious about when that started. I do kind of wonder if the traditional version tends more towards the "hero and sidekick" formula - which is reasonably true of Psych, despite the focus on Shawn and Gus's friendship - whereas the newer version can have them both on a more equal level? Not always, obviously, but. I don't know.

You're only a sophomore? Bleeeh. People younger than I am in fandom make me feel oooooooold. But yeah, fandom is so interesting to look at.