College is surely one of the greatest experiences thus far in my life; it’s an entirely new world full of magic, parties, learning, and attractive people (though not necessarily in that particular order). That world, however, was difficult to navigate at first. Before I could even begin to learn that world, and immerse myself in its depths, I had to figure out the most basic aspects of it.
I had to deduce the geography of this new world, had to make independent decisions on when to and when not to do things, and pretty quickly, it all got pretty overwhelming. I needed a break. I often turned to Tumblr.com for that break.
I explore my world through sharing, through the cyclic events of seeing something funny, sad, or relevant, and passing that blog or picture or video on to someone else. That person has something different to say about what I thought, and so do the next ten people. In this way, I not only experience the world through my eyes, but through the eyes and experiences of dozens of others.
And all I had to do was look at pictures.
There were artistic photographs.
Credit: http://simply-divine-creation.tumblr.com/post/93496332417/carly-b
There were stills from television shows that were so well done, many people wouldn’t even know where the photo originated. And then, there were fan-made photos, gifs, alternate universe imaginings in which anything could happen, videos that made me re-think everything, quotes that stopped me in my tracks,
Credit:http://larmoyante.com/post/64255708008/she-said-im-so-afraid-and-i-said-why-and
Songs which begged me to listen forever,
Ed Sheeran, “Stay With Me” cover (credit:http://soundgestions.tumblr.com/post/88005135230/but-you-can-lay-with-me-so-it-doesnt-hurt)
photo/quote combinations that made make me want to try harder.
Credit: http://girlsmotivation.com
Suddenly, Tumblr was no longer a tool to break away from the world. It became my avenue for exploring the world.
In this universe full of questions, so emotive and aggressively feeling, I found myself better able to cope with the real world around me. I became more adventurous, more willing to get out and see the tiny universe I began to call home. It was less a change towards introversion, and more a move to introspection. I used the artwork and emotion and words I saw on Tumblr as a way to connect myself to everyone and everything around me.
Technology, as a medium and a means for communication, does not so much make us lazy as it forces us to experience the pieces of the world we so rarely see as we walk across a college campus. So many times, I was forced to confront an idea I had never come across, and more often than even that, I had to face a belief which I strongly opposed. Consequently, I was given opportunity to share these experiences with others in my community.
Tumblr allows me to single-handedly expand my world to beyond my campus, the city limits, even the state line: my world encompasses the entirety of the globe. My means of experiencing the world differs by day, by moment, but always involves a component of exploration. I can choose to focus on social justice, on music, on television, on politics, and I have all of the information I could possibly want at my fingertips.
Technology and my world are irrevocably intertwined. The internet (specifically tumblr.com) has given me powers of introspection, of curiosity and investigation, and has encouraged me to constantly question and explore how others perceive the same events I have witnessed. Technology has not helped me to experience my world, technology has shaped my experience of the world.
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