Research Proposal

Name: Isla Kisby
Discipline Programme: Animation

Reflect on your work on your research topic, and your experience as a researcher. (75 words maximum)

I have expanded my knowledge of Tumblr as a platform and the way its community engages with the mechanics of the site and other platforms.

Describe the subject area - or research question if you have one – that you are interested to explore.

How does the mechanics of a site/social media affect the community it attracts and how does that community react when the developers make changes to the site?

Give 3 reasons why you are interested in this area

I have a background interest in software and the merging of developer and social intent. Tumblr is my primary social media site and I want to explore what makes it different from other sites of its genre.

Of the references you have referenced this semester in your assignments, which have been most valuable?

1. Tumblr iOS revenue increased 125% since launching its parody of paid verification (2023) TechCrunch. Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/21/tumblr-ios-revenue-increased-125-since-launching-its-parody-of-paid-verification/

2. Elon Musk Broke All the Tools Historians Need to Archive Tweets About Israel-Gaza War (2023) 404media. Available at: https://www.404media.co/elon-musk-broke-all-the-tools-historians-need-to-archive-tweets-about-israel-gaza-war/

3. Does anyone actually want an algorithmic Tumblr dashboard? (2023) @bisquid (Tumblr poll). Available at: https://www.tumblr.com/djcad-sources/788268497088217088?source=share

List materials and references that you will search for next. (E.g., keywords, books exhibitions, events)

I will look into finding more polls taken at the time of site changes being made.

What do you feel are the next three steps you need to take? E.g., research activities, methods.

Find more polls and primary sources/user think pieces and how they relate to changes to the site.

Write a comprehensive plan of what points to cover in the essay and what conclusion the reader should be led to.

Research and compare the sites audience and functionality to another social media (e.g. X).

Map your thinking so far.

The Tumblr community is hostile to financially motivated changes to the site but seems receptive to other alterations. The absence of an algorithm is a key draw for most users.