Social Issues Discussions Take New Shape on Tumblr

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Tumblr’s recently launched project, Action on Tumblr, “hands a megaphone to the marginalized” by hosting panels of experts and advocates to answer questions on particular issues. Founded on the basis of addressing fears and hate, Tumblr hopes that the platform will serve as a catalyst for giving back and creating change for the greater good. Through Action’s Issue Time forum, users have the opportunity to anonymously ask panelists questions – topics of which have ranged from women’s sexual and reproductive health, to LGBTQ rights, to gun violence prevention.

So what kind of reach does the platform offer? The first Issue Time discussion racked up more than 100 million impressions. In November, Refinery29 partnered with Tumblr to bring users a panel of experts discussing reproductive rights – aligning with Refinery29’s aim to provide women with “the inspiration and tools to discover and pursue a more independent, stylish, and informed life.”

As Victoria McCullough, social impact and public policy manager at Tumblr, acknowledged, “We do look like this young, millennial, sort of progressive community, but that’s not everybody on this platform.” McCullough hopes to feature a spectrum of bipartisan voices on future Issue Time panels to “bridge the gap” between seemingly distant communities and avoid an echo chamber/groupthink scenario.

Though Facebook remains the most popular social media platform among American, adult internet users, more than a third of users (myself included) are worn out by the political content encountered on social media. While Tumblr hasn’t been on the social platform A-list in some time, it may be finding new purpose for itself with Action: a destination precisely built for informative and educational conversations. Action’s priority is a clear one – to drive social change – which is what these particular users are drawn to in the first place.

Taking the above into consideration when connecting with your audience, ask yourself the following when developing any social media campaign: What does your brand stand for? Who do you want to impact? If the intent is to start a conversation and connect with any marginalized communities in a meaningful way, this may be just the space to do so.

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