Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, American Culture Studies

Since its inception in 2007, the microblogging platform Tumblr has grown from its modest roots as a social media website founded on short form, user-generated content into a hub for diverse subcommunities and unique experiences. Scholars have been keen to note the breadth of Tumblr users' worldviews and knowledgebases, and to identify the significance of its practices and emergent cultures. This thesis intends to expand upon such research and create a substantive theory of Tumblr which recognizes the platform's relevance according to users, and in connection with current scholarly understandings. It situates Tumblr as a key online platform in the creation of identity, community, and meaning for its users, one which has proven to be influential in present understandings of how people gather and interact in virtual spaces. Using constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology and the lens of social constructionism, this thesis seeks to analyze the lived experiences of users of Tumblr to theorize how their time on the platform have shaped who they are, how they engage with others, and how they navigate the world around them online and offline. Additionally, this thesis looks to suggest what the practices of Tumblr have contributed to users' understandings of community and identity, as well as to provide suggestions for future scholars.

Committee: Radhika Gajjala Ph.D. (Advisor); Yanqin Lu Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Communication; Cultural Anthropology; Web Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2017, Psychology/Clinical

The present study explored the nature of social justice discussions on the social networking site Tumblr using publicly available data from Tumblr posts generated between March 16, 2016 and March 30, 2016. Posts were self-identified by users with at least one of five common hashtags related to social justice identified in a pilot study on Tumblr. These hashtags were #Black Lives Matter, #Feminism, #Racism, #Social Justice, and #SJW, an abbreviation for “social justice warrior” a phrase used to label individuals who engage in social justice discussions online. Findings indicated that posts about social justice are common on Tumblr with 15,160 public posts created by 8,794 users across the two weeks. However, not all posts reflect a positive attitude toward social justice with 8.6% of posts expressing disagreement or even hostility toward movements promoting equality. Data from the present study were compared to data collected in the pilot study to describe consistency and differences in results using the same methodology at two different time points for two different lengths of time. Implications of study findings for clinical and research purposes are discussed.

Committee: Catherine Stein Ph.D. (Advisor); Dale Klopfer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Carolyn Tompsett Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2016, English

This thesis introduces “counterpublic intellectualism” to the field of composition and rhetoric as an oppositional mode of intellectual public engagement. I argue that power differentials complicate public intellectualism and its modes of publicity. After building the theoretical foundation and outlining the participatory research design, I offer findings from two case studies on feminist counterpublic bloggers on Tumblr. I introduce “Farrah” of Feminist Women of Color. She uses agitational rhetoric to provoke consciousness-raising. Drawing upon Black feminist autoethnography, I argue that Farrah offers an interactional model for feminist counterpublic intellectualism. The second case study involves Liz Laribee of Saved by the bell hooks. She uses mashup memes of Saved by the Bell stills and bell hooks quotes to invoke consciousness-raising. Drawing upon Kristie Fleckenstein's visual antinomy, I argue that Laribee offers a thematic model for feminist counterpublic intellectualism. Lastly, I discuss the broader theoretical, pedagogical implications for the field.

Committee: Jason Palmeri (Committee Chair); Katharine Ronald (Committee Member); Tim Lockridge (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Rhetoric

BA, Oberlin College, 2015, Comparative American Studies

This paper provides an overview of the resources that exist for LGBTQ youth in the Cleveland area and uses the Queers and Allies Club at Oberlin High School (Oberlin, OH) as a case study in community formation among teenagers who identify as LGBTQ or as an ally to the LGBTQ community. Each chapter addresses potential sources of support, including schools, national organizations, and the Internet while presenting opportunities for improvement in each realm, demonstrating that while some LGBTQ youth resources exist, they are designed for youth in urban areas, leaving students in non-urban communities without access to community or information.

Committee: Wendy Kozol (Advisor); Evangeline Heiliger (Committee Member); Meredith Raimondo (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Education; Education Policy; Educational Sociology; Gender; Gender Studies; Sociology; Web Studies; Womens Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2013, Popular Culture

Thinspiration images, meant to inspire weight-loss, proliferate online through platforms that encourage the circulation of user-generated content. Despite numerous alarmist critiques in mass media about thinspiration and various academic studies investigating 'pro-anorexia' sites, surprisingly little attention has been given to the processes of creation and the symbolic potential of thinspiration. This thesis analyzes the formal hybridity of thinspiration, and its use as an expressive medium. The particularities of thinspiration (including its visual characteristics, creative processes, and exhibition) may be considered carefully constructed instances of self-representation, hinging on the expression of beliefs regarding the mind and body. While these beliefs are deeply entrenched in popular body management discourse, they also tend to rely on traditional dualist ideologies. Rather than simply emphasizing slenderness or reiterating standard assumptions about beauty, thinspiration often evokes pain and sadness, and employs truisms about the transcendence of flesh and rebellion against social constraints. By harnessing individualist discourse and the values of mind/body dualism, thinspiration becomes a space in which people struggling with disordered eating and body image issues may cast themselves as active agents—contrary to images of eating disorders proffered by popular and medical discourse.

Committee: Marilyn Motz (Advisor); Rebecca Kinney (Committee Member); Jeremy Wallach (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Art Criticism; Communication; Folklore; Gender Studies; Health; Multimedia Communications; Social Research; Web Studies; Womens Studies