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Katherine Johnson
English 101-4002
Joan Robinson
29 November 2015
Community Differences Between Facebook and Tumblr
Facebook and Tumblr: the most revered of social media platforms. When encountering a
person someone wants to keep in touch with, the username for one of these profiles is mentioned.
Connection using a story-blog format makes this an ideal form of communication and sharing.
Although both are used to communicate, the communities and general feeling of the groups
vastly differ. In order to articulate and compare the differences in depth between Facebook and
Tumblr communities, their content, commentary, profile customization, and community size
must be contrasted.
For users, what they post determines the content of the website. The community itself is
impacted by what is posted, since sharing or reblogging a post brings the information into
their personal community.While a user may use both platforms, he or she often posts different
content due to his or her audience, proving that this illustrates community differences. For
example, Facebook shares intimate and personal content. So, pertinent life events and intimate
details about a users family is more likely to be posted as well as unfortunate life changes, due
to the communitys intimate tendencies (MIT Technology Review). Unlike this platform, Tumblr
explores a wide range of generally impersonal content. Instead of posting for those whom users
have seen in real life, they selectively add content for unknown followers on specific topics.
Tumblr and Facebook content is limited by the impersonal and personal boundaries of their
communities (Hillman).

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Of all the social media giants, Facebook and Tumblr tend to be where commentary is
shown the most. The contrast between the attitudes and social-nature of the community shown
with commentary makes this factor invaluable for comparison. The source of variation lies in
identification of users. Facebooks format makes individuals accountable for what they say and
do, because users are known outside of the internet domain. Certain opinions are challenged
directly, so arguing can cause rifts in real life. Because of this, users tend to be more cautious of
what they post (Tardanico). Life events such as posting a relationship status or responding to
certain posts have implications in real life, making users more careful in what they say. Tumblr
has an opposite effect. Many users do not post their pictures or real names, making certain
behaviors in the community more prevalent which causes negative commentary to become
rampant. Tumblrs anonymity makes it both a dangerous and safer place for users. Users who
are too shy to share their name can relate with others, providing a safe haven. While other users
who are cruel have less outside-world repercussions, posing a dangerous risk to others. The
temperament of other users can make either social media community more or less suitable
(Hillman).
Profile customization is the basis for social media, since it gives a personality to a user.
Both Facebook and Tumblr have their own ways of portraying the individuality of users. By
looking at the user profiles, it is easier to understand how each community connects and grows.
Facebook profiles of users include their posts, what they identify with, personal picture, and
relationships, proving its biggest draw is connecting to people the user knows. Through this
platform, a community can interact and learn more about a wide spectrum of friends and family.
Interactions are typically based on the content included in a profile, inducing interpersonal
relationship strain or connection from such content (Strano).

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Alike to Facebook, Tumblr connects a variety of users. Although community tends to
have a very different approach to profile display, because users focus on what they are interested
in and what they love rather than real-life details. They connect using content displaying their
personal thoughts and intellectual nature, using political stances and humor to appeal to the likeminded. This tends to be the strongest form of connection, especially since the actual names of
users is unknown, leaving others only able to judge someone based on what they post. The
primary connection focuses on how a user acts, rather than whether they have met each other.
When looking at the social platforms, user profile behavior plays a large role in the communitys
interactions. Facebooks lack of anonymity makes outside-world relations important, while
Tumblr relies on behavior due to the lack of outside connection. Facebook communities are more
based on common friendships known in real life, while Tumblr communities are based on similar
interests (Hillman).
In order to understand a community better, its size plays a significant role. The noticeable
differences between users can become more obvious or less obvious depending on size. Also, the
ability to form new relationships on the social media is deeply impacted by it. Facebooks
community size can range from ten individuals to one hundred. Various users find that larger
quantities of friends can decrease noticeable differences between individuals (MIT Technology
Review). Smaller groups on this platform tend to promote deeper understanding, although certain
searches and filtering can accomplish this in a larger group as well. Getting to know people that
users want to meet or interact with in the outside world is much more possible. For those who
use Tumblr, the community size is much larger than Facebook, reaching more than two thousand
on a regular basis. Making an impression on each individual is much harder than on Facebook,
since the size makes the differences between users almost unnoticeable. Due to the large size,

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those who befriend on Tumblr tend to stay internet friends making them never reach a closer,
physical connection (Bury). Both Facebook and Tumblr communities struggle with making
individuals seem more unique. Those on Facebook have a better chance of standing out or
seeming difference due to the smaller community and interaction in the real world. The
anonymous nature of Tumblr makes befriending much more difficult and connecting deeply
much harder as well as blending in with the thousands of users (Hillman).
Users of Tumblr and Facebook find obvious differences in the atmosphere and
relationships in their online community. The sharing mechanisms between the social media
platforms impacts how individuals connect, since Tumblr users follow those who share their
interests. The interactions between the Facebook and Tumblr world differ due to the
personalization or lack of it. For those who seek to connect with those they know and see a range
of topics, Facebook would be the most ideal choice. The other individuals who want to connect
based on common interests and learn more about specific topics should use Tumblr. Both of the
social media platforms due to their large communities make individuality less obvious (Hillman).
Ultimately, each community has their weak points and strengths as well as outlier users. All users
should consider what they want to see, who they want to connect with, and how deep of
relationships they want before joining either community. Likely, numerous users will find that
they share an equal, yet very different love for both platforms.
Works Cited
Bury, Rhiannon, Ruth Deller, Adam Greenwood, and Bethan Jones. "From Usenet to Tumblr:
The Changing Role of Social Media." From Usenet to Tumblr: The Changing Role of
Social Media (n.d.): n. pag.Participations. Journal of Audience and Reception Studies,
May 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

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Hillman, Selena, Jason Procyk, and Carman Neustaedter. "Tumblr Fandoms, Community &
Culture." Tumblr Fandoms, Community & Culture. Simon Fraser University, 2014. Web.
19 Nov. 2015.
Strano, Michele M. "User Descriptions and Interpretations of Self-Presentation through
Facebook Profile." Cyber Psychology. Bridgewater College, 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Tardanico, Susan. "Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication."Forbes. Forbes Magazine,
30 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
"The Curious Nature of Sharing Cascades on Facebook | MIT Technology Review." MIT
Technology Review. N.p., 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.