"Millennials and the Age of Tumblr Activism"

"There are more than 215 million blogs on Tumblr and, according to comScore, an analytics company, 50 percent of Tumblr users are from 15 to 34 years old. The company’s internal surveys show that 64 percent of users say that they care about social causes and look into them on Tumblr. These numbers suggest that millennials, who have long been pigeonholed as an apathetic bunch, have a strong interest in social issues — it’s just hidden from the eyes of their elders...“Tumblr is kind of like a gateway drug for activism,” said Philip Howard, 44, the principal investigator at the Digital Activism Research Project at the University of Washington. “Once you connect to other people who feel strongly about race or crime or gay marriage, you stay engaged on that one issue area.”"

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/style/millennials-and-the-age-of-tumblr-activism.html

I like this theory about perceptions of apathy - our action and passion are just in spaces that aren't traditionally looked to. 

I think there is so much to say about the impacts of "hashtag activism". It provides narratives and images in ways that weren't as accessible before - I really, really believe that mainstream news media was only able to report on a lot of issues because twitter and tumblr and bloggers had provided an easily accessible narrative that showed quick comprehension and adoption by others. News shows are practically reporting on what social media is saying about a news event, as a way to report about a news event that makes much of their audience feel personally uncomfortable.