VIDERE

videre
THE VIRTUAL ISSUE DECEMBER 2019

introduction

T

Yours Truly,

Claudette

1

table of contents

04. Pinterest
06. Tumblr
08. Instagram
10. Bumble
12. Telegram

2

Pinterest
and how it makes ideas work

E nter Pinterest, a visual discovery engine that
changes the game in brainstorming and sourcing
ideas. Mostly an image-based site, Pinterest
deviates from the other sites by providing content
that sparks the users’ inspiration by providing ideas from
recipes to outfits and home inspiration. And like our traditional
pin boards on our bedroom, it also allows its users to save
and organize ideas into separate pin boards. Founded by
Ben Sillbermann, Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp on December
2009, Pinterest is not as big as other sites like Instagram and
Facebook, but its growth over the years can compete with
the other sites as it separates itself from the other social
networking sites as it is not focused in connecting with other
people.
Initially only available through desktop browsers, Pinterest
is now available on Android, iOS, and other phone operating
systems and is helping its users jumpstart their projects
more than ever.

3

4

HOW PINTEREST WORKS them inspired and apply that inspiration to
Pinterest allows its users to visually share, their own lives.

as well as discover new interests or topics THE PEOPLE OF

by posting images or videos to their boards,

PINTEREST AND WHYknown in the site as “pinning,” and browsing

others have posted or pinned. It also allows its
THEY USE ITusers to pin other’s pin into their boards. The
As a rapidly growing social network, Pinterest
boards are folders or categories the users can has a growing number of statistics. As of
create to organize their pins for their easier this year, Pinterest has already more than
navigation. These boards could also not be 300 million active users, and approximately
for personal use because there’s an option 200 billion pins on the site. From 2017-
for Group Boards where users can collaborate 2018 specifically, the site grew significantly,
and save pins into that board. The pins could as there was a 75% increase of pins with
also be linked to another website that would that time period. It is clear that Pinterest
provide additional information about that induces and encourages ideas and creativity
particular pin. They can also leave comments among its users, and consequently attracts
to pins if they decide to share their experience a certain demographic that constitutes most
of trying a particular pin. The idea of Pinterest of Pinterest’s users. For most of Pinterest’s
lifetime, its main demographic are women.
5is to help people collect the things that gets

In fact, 70% of Pinterest users are women. the logo evolution
Most of these users are under the age of
49. However, its male users are also steadily 2010-2011
increasing over the years. In fact, 50% of new
account sign-ups in 2018 are men. Perhaps 2011-2016
the fact that millennials use Pinterest as
much as they use Instagram contributed to 2016-present
this statistic. 1 of 2 millennials said that they
use Pinterest as much as they use Instagram. 6
The most popular categories for millennial
men are food, drinks, and technology, while
older users of Pinterest prefer categories such
as DIY projects, décor, and outdoor activities.
And what is the commoncality of these users?
Studies show that 98% of these users often
go out and try the ideas they find on Pinterest.
“Pinterest’s users are shown to be passionate
and caring, while open and honest about
themselves and their experiences,” AddThis.
com wrote.

Tumblr

and how it revolutionized blogging
I n the insurgence of microblogging
culture, Tumblr walks in the appearance easily, without needing much
fine line of microblogging and knowledge about web designing. Users that
traditional blogging. Founded are knowledgeable about web design can
by David Karp in 2007, Tumblr was one also customize their blogs through HTML
of the pioneers in the introduction of coding.
microblogging to the popular culture and
media. Karp’s idea of Tumblr started with Because Tumblr is also a social network
his interest with tumblelogs, or short form site, other users can follow their fellow users
blogs. Tumblelogs are the micro-blogs that and interact with them not only through
were first developed in 2005. On Tumblr, their blog entries, but also through private
the users can both repost other’s content messaging that is also available in the site.
through reblogs and post original content
like other social media networks, but on
Tumblr users can curate and present their
content through Tumblogs, the blog website
of the user that is connected to their Tumblr
account.

Over the course of almost 13 years,
Tumblr has been on a bumpy ride, but
nevertheless became a breeding ground of
numerous Tumblr communities and cliques,
as well as a diverse culture that traversed
across other social media sites. As of August
2019, Tumblr hosts over 475 million blogs.

HOW TUMBLR WORKS

As said earlier, Tumblr functions both
as a microblogging and traditional blogging
site. Users can create their own blog entries,
insert text, photos, quotes, audio files, video
files on it, and post it on their Tumblogs. Users
can also customize their blog’s interface and

7

THE PEOPLE OF TUMBLR people have a difficulty conforming to that
kind of demand. This is where Tumblr comes
AND WHY THE USE IT into play. Tumblr is programmed in a way that
it does not demand a type of content. As a
If you think Tumblr became big because it is result, all types of content can be found here.
closely knitted to the blogging culture, then you The availability of a huge array of content on
are wrong. Tumblr became famous precisely Tumblr makes it easier to build a community
because it is “the anti-blog.” Studies show that of, for instance, users of the same interests.
people are slowly leaving traditional blogging Moreover, Tumblr users do not particularly
because they cannot find and develop an develop and find an audience unlike traditional
audience. To add to that, traditional blogging blogging platforms.
demands a consistent type of content, and
8

“Come for wh
love. Stay for
you discover

G iven this situation, Tumblr appeals
to certain kinds of users. It
particularly appeals to younger
audiences, within the 18-29 age
bracket. In the United States alone, 43% of
the users are in this age bracket. Come to
think of it, the way Tumblr is programmed
perfectly fits to these users, as people from
this age bracket usually still have trouble
connecting with other people. The way that
Tumblr is poster-centered, not audience-
centered, makes it easier for these users
to build niches and communities within
Tumblr. The most popular contents available
on Tumblr that caters to these users are a
mix of “mental wellness and self-help blogs,
humor, science, and fandom blogs.

ON THE EMERGENCE OF and organizing formal interactions. The way
microblogging platforms are programmed
MICROBLOGGING are typically made to make their users post
as straightforward as possible, because of
As previously established, Tumblr is one character limits and limited size in posting
of the pioneers in bringing microblogging content. As a result, microblogging content
to the popular culture. The microblogging are easier to digest by the users. Furthermore,
culture is mainly the reason for the because of how easy it is to post and absorb
instantaneous communication in between content on microblogging platforms, most of
people. In the earlier years, microblogging our consciousness now lie on these platforms.
platforms only aimed to let people share
their thoughts in real time. Now, these
platforms serve a multitude of functions:
from sharing their thoughts to selling items

9

hat you 1) Lifestyle photos
r what
r.” Pictures of people doing everyday activities.
Tumblr allows embedding, and these photos
are mostly sourced from other social media
networks like Instagram and Pinterest.

2) Memes

The large presence of youth contributes
to this type of content. These memes are
reposted through “reblogs,” that ultimately
contributes to how these memes spread.

3) NSFW content

Since there is literally nothing stopping
the users from posting any type of con-
tent except Community Guidelines that
only take effect if fellow Tumblr users
report a certain post, NSFW or Not Safe
for Work content is also all over Tumblr.
Tumblr’s search bar reportedly changes
depending on the time of the day: 11 am
search results on Tumblr has less NSFW
content than 11pm search results.

TUMBLR CULTURE 4) Fandom content

As also established earlier, Tumblr is Fan content from fandoms, or a relatively
conducive for a huge variety of subcultures organized community of fans, can also be
and niches. As such, a variety of content found here. As said earlier, Tumblr has a
can be found here that cultivates this. way of bringing people together. It lets its
The most popular type of content are as users post the things they’re passionate
about and lets other users find those con-
tent that ultimately helps them connect
with each other.

5) Art content

Tumblr induces creativity among its us-
ers, and since they can also present their
works through a blog, that’s why under-
ground and amateur artists thrive on
Tumblr.

10

Instagram

and how weiwnsetnatgrframomppahgoetso albums to

I nstagram wanted to be different Instagram is the first to offer this kind
from all the social networking of service in the social media world.
sites, so they started with images.
Also called Insta or IG, Instagram Almost a decade later, now available
is founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike in other phone operating systems
Krieger on October 2010, which was with several other features other than
initially only available on iOS. Instagram image sharing, their deviation from the
started as a photo-sharing social existing social media platforms allowed
networking service that allows its users this seemingly simple application to
to post and share photos to the service, build a community of its own, with more
with built-in photo-editing feature. than 1 billion monthly active users.

11

H ow I nstagram 52% of Instagram’s users are female,
while 42% are male, the rest are registered
under non-binary gender classifications.
works It is evident that most of its users are
the youth and young adults, as 31% of
Mostly a visual social networking service, internet users aged 18-24 and 32% of
Instagram allow its users to connect and internet users aged 25-34 use Instagram.

explore the world beyond their physical Additionally, 72% of the teenager
reach. Like any other social media population have Instagram accounts.
platform, Instagram follows a profile
and feed format. Their users will have a Filipino users make up 9.5% of the entire
Instagram population, with approximately
profile where other users can see what 10, 350, 000 users as of October 2018. 63.5%
they post. Consequently, users can follow of this number are women. Population
the accounts they’re interested in to see aged 18-24 is still the largest user group
their posts on their newsfeed. The users with over 4.2 million users, reflecting
can like, comment, and share other posts. the global statistics of the application.

Instagram Beyond the logo timeline
P hotos
2010
While Instagram started with photos, over
the years it has extended its reach to by Kevin Systrom
other visual components to share with its
users. Users can also geotag their posts,
take facial recognition filtered selfies, post
videos, private message other users, and 2010-2011
share Stories: a sequential secondary
mini feed with each post available for only by Cole Rise
24 hours before it disappears. As of June
18, Instagram added the IGTV feature,
where creators can upload longer videos
to encourage in-depth content and viewer
engagement.

THE INSTAGRAM 2011-2016
COMMUNITY
by Cole Rise

Instagram is the sixth most popular 2016- now
social media in the world, and of course by Robert Padbury
Instagram attracts certain audiences
that regularly contribute to and consumer 12
Instagram’s content which makes up most
of Instagram’s community and culture. Out
of Instagram’s more than one billion users,

s previously establishedAcreated

in the text, the seemingly

simple Instagram has

"Capture ultimately contribute to why peoplenumerous

communities within the application

and a culture of its own, and these

and use and stay on Instagram. Studies
have shown that there are several main
categories that influence a person’s
usage of social media networks like

share Instagram, such as social interaction,
archiving events, creative expression,
entertainment, and surveillance.

Inthiscase,Instagramisoneofthefew

the social media networks that pioneered
in using images as the application’s
main selling point. Images became the
main mode of communicating through

world's one’s audience at Instagram, and thus
users have put so much effort in taking
photographs for them to effectively
communicate with other users.

moments." Zachary McCune wrote in his study
that people have become obsessed
with how their images look because
of social media apps like Instagram.
-Instagram’s tagline The emergence of such applications
has definitely influenced how we view

photos, and how we become creative

13 and create new ways of presenting

ordinary objects through pictures.
It is also through image-centered
apps like Instagram that people have
become open to amateur photography.
Everyone can be a photographer in
the Instagram community, even if a
user does not have formal training in
photography.

Additionally, Instagram’s photo-
based nature highly affects how we
think in such a way that photos provide
an illusion of credibility that is often
absent in text. As a result, Instagram as
a platform is perfect for self-expression
and impression management. As said
earlier, Instagram users have become
obsessed with how their images
look in Instagram. Photos’ illusion
of credibility is the exact reason
why users have become keen with
how their images look and what is in
the said images. Users tend to post
photographs that produce a positive
impression of themselves. Instagram’s
photo-based nature produces a more
immediate social response in between
users to compare themselves to
others. This just proves that images
are similar to written language as it
both fulfills communicative functions.

14

T he dating world just got vaster with Bumble not only has a feature for dating but
online dating apps like Bumble. for creating friends and career opportunities
Founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd on as well. Bumble Date, Bumble BFF, and Bumble
2014, Bumble is a location-based Bizz are all within the same app, but serve
social and dating application that enables and different purposes. For this article, Bumble
facilitates communication between mutually Date would be focused. Bumble is only five
interested users. While online dating had been years old, but it has created enough buzz
a thing almost as immediately as internet across the globe, and can compete to older,
became available to the masses, dating apps more established dating apps like Tinder. Its
like Bumble made online dating popular among advocacy to a safer online dating experience,
younger generations. In a matter of seconds, which will be elaborated later on, made it
a user can go through photos of a whole line- popular among online dating app users. As
up of possible love interests through swiping of 2019, Bumble has over 55 million users
left and right, depending on whether a user is worldwide.
interested to a fellow user.

15

Bumble
and the world of online dating
16

“datMe,e e t ,

DATING JUST GOT
VIRTUAL

People always found ways to meet new
people. Before there was online dating,
there were pen pals, text mates, and even
newspapers dedicated for single people.
This just shows that meeting new people
without seeing them face-to-face is not a
new concept for humanity. Of course, with
the present technology, the only difference
is that meeting new people is faster and
more visual because of the presence of
digital pictures and selfies. Technology
and social trends really have a big impact
on how we connect, when we connect, and
who we connect with.
Kiss.com and Match.com are some of the
earliest dating sites, which were launched
in the 1990s. Since then, several other
sites emerged, and the existing platforms
created their own dating segments. Sites
such as OkCupid followed. Forums and
chatrooms were all over the internet. As
the society became more accepting of
other sexual orientations, dating sites and
dating apps conformed to this setup. In
2009, Grindr was launched, a dating app
focusing on homosexual men. In 2010,
one of the most famous dating apps of
the generations was launched: Tinder.
More and more dating apps were launched
as smartphones became more and more and more people get into online dating despite
advanced, and because of this, the dangers of of these risks. But now, thanks to the technology,
online dating became more apparent as well. stricter community guidelines and the evolving
There’s catfishing or using of other people’s progressive mindset of the people, new and
pictures and claim their identity, cyber-sexual safer dating apps like Bumble are launched,
harassment, and cybersex. Nevertheless, more so users can enjoy the perks of online dating

17 minimizing the risks of it.

WHAT MAKES BUMBLE
DIFFERENT

Making an account on Bumble is easy yet safe as
it includes extra steps to avoid catfishing. Those
who wish to have an account on Bumble can either
sign up using a Facebook account or a phone
number. Signing in via Facebook will have Bumble
automatically build a profile based from the basic

information on the Facebook account like
age, job, and location. The legitimacy of
the Facebook account (for example, the
number of friends in the profile) is checked
before it can be used to sign up for a
Bumble account. Bumble is also the first
dating app to include photo verification
as part of their signing up process. Users
would be asked to do a variety of poses and
take selfies doing those poses. The photos
are validated by real people, not machines,
so the process is surprisingly thorough.
Now finding possible matches literally
takes a flick of your thumb. Users can swipe
right to users they like, and swipe left they
do not like. If both users swiped right to
each other’s profile, Bumble will give them
a chance to talk to each other through their
messaging feature. As established earlier,
Bumble advocates for a safer online dating
experience, and that prioritizes women
in that aspect. If both users swiped right
to each other’s profile, the woman could
only initiate the conversation between
heterosexual couples. For same-sex
couples however, both of the parties could
initiate the conversation. What’s more, the
chance to initiate a conversation is only
within 24 hours, otherwise the match is
lost forever. This kind of feature Bumble
offers results to low harassment and abuse
reports within the site and facilitates more
meaningful conversation between users.
Bumble aims to deviate the rules of dating
and empowers women to take charge of
their dating game.

network
better.”18

Telegram

and the era of instant messaging

19

C onnecting with people from pages. Today, Telegram is not only
hundreds and thousands available in phone operating systems
of miles away only takes such as Android, iOs, and Windows
seconds with instant Phone, but also in computer operating
messaging apps like systems such as Windows NT, MacOs,
Telegram. Founded by Nikolai and Paul and Linux. As of October 2019, Telegram

Durov in 2013, what sets Telegram has 300 million users worldwide.

apart from all the instant messaging

platform is its high-end privacy, which

will be elaborated in the succeeding 20

HOW TELEGRAM WORKS used by ISIS, who recommended it to its
members because of its security features.
Telegram also allows its users to make group
Telegram is a cloud-based messaging chats with up to 100,000 members per group.
platform that allows its users to send not only
messages but also videos, stickers, audio, and Anyone who are concerned with the privacy
files of any type. Because it is cloud-based, of their messages can use Telegram. Setting
users can sync their conversation across their up a Telegram account are tied to the users’
devices. Unlike other messaging platforms, phone numbers and are verified by SMS for
Telegram’ssendinglimitismuchlarger,with1.5 added security. Phone numbers that are in
gigabyte sending limit per file. The messages the users’ contacts with a Telegram account
sent in Telegram uses end-to-end encryption, are automatically synced to the application.
meaning users outside the conversation will Additionally, if a person in your contact
not be able to read the messages in case of recently tried set up a Telegram account,
a hacking situation happens. This makes you will be notified as well. Users are also
Telegram an ideal messaging platform for able to make their own stickers to make their
businesses, government constituents, and conversations between other users enjoyable.
reportedly, terrorists. On October 2014, South
Korean government even drove their citizens
to switch to Telegram. It was also reportedly

21

"mAesnseawginerogfa"

Sent messages can be edited and deleted In fact, because of these innovative features
on both sides of the conversation with 48 that are made famous by Telegram, other
hours after being sent, giving the users the messaging platforms followed suit with the
freedom to correct their typos and retrieve features that only Telegram offered before. For
messages that are sent by mistake. Telegram instance, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp
users can also set a timer on their message recently imitated the end-to-end encryption in
to schedule its sending. These features their messages. But nevertheless, Telegram
offered by Telegram makes it he preferred still ranks at the top as one of the most
messaging platform of over 300 million users. secure messaging platforms out there.

22

PHOTO
CREDITS

INTRODUCTION/TABLE OF CONTENTS (PAGE 1-2): Photo
by Bruno Gomiero on Unsplash
PINTEREST (PAGE 3- 4): Photo by Viktor Hanacek
PINTEREST (PAGE 5-6): Photo by Webaroo.com.au on
Unsplash
TUMBLR (PAGE 7-8): Photo by Jira on RawPixel
INSTAGRAM (PAGE 11): Photo by Gian Cescon on
Unsplash
INSTAGRAM (PAGE 13): Photo by NeONBRAND on
Unsplash
BUMBLE (PAGE 15): Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash
BUMBLE (PAGE 16): Photo by Karina Carvalho on Unsplash
BUMBLE (PAGE 17-18): Photo/Illustration by Heather
Seidel on The Wall Street Journal
TELEGRAM (PAGE 19-20): Photo by Brooke Cagle on
Unsplash
TELEGRAM (PAGE 21-22): Photo by Christian Wiediger on
Unsplash
PHOTO CREDITS (PAGE 24): Photo by Charles PH on
Unsplash

23

24

Submitted by

DE LEON, Claudette Patricia
Ann C.
2018-68713