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cassiemortmain

@cassiemortmain / cassiemortmain.tumblr.com

Things that make me smile, and sometimes cry
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I have to speak up on why tumblrā€™s new feature is not a tool for us to earn money, and could potentially be dangerous for the way we create and share on tumblr.

First off, tumblr isnā€™t doing it to create a way for us to make money ā€“ itā€™s a way for tumblr to make more money, theyā€™re interested in their own cut of it, and if it works, the content made for pay will be highly encouraged and prioritized in comparison to our regular posting.

Theyā€™re incentivizing poor people to create content to be consumed by the rich. This will disable us from making any meaningful activism or social movement, or even spreading social awareness, because there will be pressure to make money off of it, and the only way is to cater to the ones who have money they can carelessly spend on tumblr.

Most of us donā€™t have that. Most of us are poor, marginalized, struggling, and weā€™re using tumblr to connect and support each other, to create friendships, to create a safe social circle, to raise awareness, to spread activism for our own human rights. Weā€™re making content for each other, and to create a better space for us to exist in the society. Weā€™re making this content for us. Once itā€™s on the market to be sold, it will not be sold to us. It will no longer be for us. And if tumblr finds itā€™s a possibility to create money out of our content being sold to the rich ā€“ all other content will lose priority. Only content that generates profit will be promoted and encouraged. Our social awareness, our connections and mutual support, sharing resources and free entertainment, it will all be thrown under the bus because it will not be bringing in money. We will be discouraged from saying anything that doesnā€™t invite a paying audience.

Donā€™t use the new feature. Donā€™t support the people who do. Respond to tumblrā€™s survey with negative feedback, and suggest to install an option for volountary donations or a tip jar instead. Donā€™t allow them to nullify our activism by pushing us to make a profit off of it.

You have a voice online, for as long as you donā€™t sell it.

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Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends.
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