Abstract
I followed Belle (@bellecosby, @bonitaapplebelle), or Hanna, from Twitter to Tumblr. Her presence on the blog was thoughtful, defiant, playful, and informed. Looking through Hanna's posts as Belle from Tumblr, she struck me as "Tumblr famous" - a type of microcelebity that uses Tumblr to connect with an audience and maintain popularity among other Tumblr users. Well before the #MeToo movement had caught fire in 2017, Hanna was ready and willing to challenge mainstream celebrity on behalf of the voiceless. On Twitter she laid out arguments to challenge the impulse to victim-blame when sexual assault survivors do go public challenging the impulse to victim-blame when sexual assault survivors do go public. This chapter traces how Belle's online community was an opportunity for relationally understanding herself and expressing her identity to specific Tumblr networks, among like-minded peers that also confront social issues.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Microcelebrity Around the Globe |
Subtitle of host publication | Approaches to Cultures of Internet Fame |
Publisher | Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. |
Pages | 121-130 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781787567498 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781787567504 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 19 2018 |
Keywords
- Black activism
- Racism
- Sexual assault
- Tumblr
- US
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Social Sciences
- General Computer Science