ICYMI: The Subreddits That Ruined the Internet

Slate Culture

Slate Podcasts

Arts, Tv & Film, Music

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2021

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The subreddit r/TumblrInAction started out in the early 2010s as a place to mock the sorts of oversimplified social justice posts all over Tumblr, but it quickly became a breeding ground for online hate. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Allegra discuss their own history as Tumblr teens, the simplified and misguided ways Tumblr posts tried to share progressive ideology, and how the culture of one subset of Reddit forums that made fun of those posts eventually led to GamerGate and all sorts of online harassment tactics. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	All right, I found something good already, and I think I'm getting a sense of what kind of subreddit this is.
0:11.2	Hi, I'm Rachel Hampton, and you're listening to ICYMI.
0:16.7	In case you missed it, Slade's podcast about internet culture.
0:20.3	And as you can tell, Madison is not here.
0:23.5	I have finally become the supreme.
0:26.2	No, she is actually on vacation.
0:29.0	Take your PTO before it runs out at the end of the year.
0:32.2	So today, we're joined by one of our editors, Allegra Frank.
0:35.7	Hi, Allegra.
0:36.8	Hi, Rachel.
0:37.9	Thanks for having me.
0:39.4	I'm so glad you're here, not least because every single time the cats away,
0:44.3	the mouse gets to play, aka, Madison's away, and we're going to talk about Tumblr.
0:55.2	I honestly feel like anytime I come in,
0:58.8	it's to stop you from having your Joker moment of, like, the longer I'm not allowed to talk about Tumblr.
1:05.7	The more likely I'm going to go rogue and destroy this podcast from my desk.
1:09.9	Exactly. You're really kind of a backstop to keep me from going full Joker on the podcast
1:14.8	and, like, fully just ripping our team apart.
1:18.2	So thank you for that public service.
1:21.0	I'm happy to be the glue.
1:23.0	So we're talking, of course, about Tumblr, but specifically social justice Tumblr,
1:29.6	because what a wild and weird place that raised me, sorry, mom.
	...

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