The ever-growing issue of social media has taken to the floor for debate, numerous times with the increase of smart phones and access to Internet.
Social media has been the platform to let followers know about the steak you had at Don Shula’s, the status about your current relationship and the photo of your niece who was just born. However, when was the last time you saw someone post about what they’ve been striving for in their organic chemistry class? You probably don’t see this side of social media often. Nevertheless, on Tumblr, there is a whole community dedicated to posts that carry social significance.
Tumblr, the fast growing social blogging network, has been a forum of expression for the newest generation of the teenage demographic. There are communities within the blogging site, everything from the Avengers fandom to studying. That’s right. There’s a whole sector of Tumblr that is dedicated to studying. These blogs call themselves “studyblrs,” a play on the site’s name.
A studyblr focuses on various aspects of studying, particularly the aesthetic side, productivity and motivation for school. This community is predominantly comprised of high school aged and college women. The pictures that dominate the most popular blogs are of aesthetically pleasing notes, perfect studying spots and a multitude of colorful stationary supplies. Not only is it a pleasure to look at, but the private studying techniques of these bloggers are expressed through this medium. This creates a community that seeks to encourage and help others with their studies, everything from studying playlists to free pintables. A large portion of the “studyblr” community uses 8tracks for their study playlists. 8tracks is an online radio with a twist — no algorithm choses the songs, but rather, these radio stations are carefully constructed playlists made by people.
One of the main trademarks for these bloggers is the bullet journal. Bullet journaling is a form of journaling that is used to increase productivity. This method was created by Ryder Carroll as a way to organize his thoughts and daily to-do lists. Basically, the only thing you would need is a journal, some colorful pens and your thoughts. You would create your own system of organization through trial and error journaling. The reason as to why this works is because it forces you to plan out your daily plans, errands and goals. By doing it yourself, you create a bubble of needing to accomplish what you penned down, but also lets you see how much you can accomplish over time.
Other aspects of these blogs are the tools these everyday people use to study. Colorful index cards and pens are a topic of hot discussion. From the looks of it,Stabilo point 88 pens, Staedtler Triplus Fineliners, and Pilot G2 pens are the goto utensils for colorful and creative note taking. Moleskine journals and blank notebooks are the favorite for notes. There’s even talk of websites that aid in the studying and productivity sector. For example, the Google Chrome extension, Momentum, is often mentioned. Once installed, every time you open a new window, you are instantly greeted with the time and a welcome. The background photo is of luxurious landscapes from all over the world. On the right-hand side, there is a little black box where you can add your to-do list. Another website that is mentioned is getcoldturkey.com. It enables users to block certain websites they find themselves going on to procrastinate or that are distracting. The reason it works is because it also prevents the launch of these sites on all browsers and windows. It lets you schedule certain blocks in which these websites will remain blocked, as well.
The studyblr community is wide open for all to take part of. It seeks to encourage better study habits by listing personal tactics to achieve that goal. This community is not competitive. These bloggers are high school and college students seeking to put their studious nature into the internet spotlight. Whether their notes are aesthetically pleasing to the eye or simple, whether or not they have the most expensive stationary, not once did I see any blogger talk each other down. This is a subsector of a huge social media site, and all it seems to be is good. As college students, let’s face it, we need all the help we can get. Instead of opening our browser to Facebook, or logging on to Twitter, why don’t you scroll through the #studyblr tag and see if you find inspiration in the picturesque world of academia.