As part of my seminar course, ANG 6002 Presenting Anthropology, we were asked to do several projects on presenting anthropology to the public over the course of the semester. The very first of these challenges was the Social Media Challenge, which would be worked on and kept up through out the semester. We were asked to choose a social media format (be it a Twitter account, a blog, ect.), create posts, and see what the result would be.
When I started this project earlier in the year, I really did not have any expectations. I was not even sure if I would remember to make posts! I thought, “How on earth am I going to remember to do this? When am I going to find the time?” But, as it turned out, neither of these were ever an issue.
My biggest challenge was actually deciding what social media format to use. I knew I wanted to try something new, a format that I had no previous experience with. This could have been a bad idea, but I was up for the challenge. I wanted it to be simple to use and have the potential to reach as many people as it could. I also knew early on that I wanted to do something more than a wordy blog post. No offense to you bloggers out there, but I knew that particular format would not work for me. I needed and wanted something that was more visual based, where I could simply post pictures of anthropology. I eventually decided on a Tumblr. For me, it combined all the best qualities of a blog and a Twitter account into one format that was quick and easy for me to use. Essentially, it fit me, my schedule, and what I wanted to do with this project.
As I mentioned before, I really did not have any expectations. I did not even know what exactly I would post. I just knew my posts would mostly be pictures. I chose to post pictures because, well, pictures do not take up too much time to look at. And, with the attention spans of people today, combined with the popularity of visuals like memes, a few seconds of a person’s time was all I wanted and, honestly, could hope to have. I guess in that respect I had very low expectations. But, the people of Tumblr are always surprising me! They do seem to make time to read lengthier posts, and I find myself doing the same. I, who once wondered where I would even find the time to do this social media challenge, found myself taking the time to read the longer posts of others on Tumblr.
I found this mostly visual format to actually be very successful, especially because Tumblr is already a heavy visual social media site. Tumblr also happen to be the only social media format I chose to use. As I said before, I wanted something easy to use, as I am not very up to date on the multiple social media platforms out there and how they work. I tried connecting my Tumblr to my Facebook account, but I never seemed to have much success with my Tumblr posts appearing on Facebook. That was unfortunate, and I resigned myself on just sticking to one social media format. It was probably for the best anyway.
It was actually really surprising to see how quickly my posts on Tumblr were being “liked” and reposted by others. And, once I started adding multiple tags to my posts, I felt I was really reaching an incredibly large audience. It is interesting to look at posts and see the path they took, the different people that saw my post, and who reblogged it.
Throughout the semester, I have been gaining followers. As of writing this, I have a total of 20 followers. That might not sound like much, but to me, that is pretty good considering my Tumblr has only been up since January. And, to make it even better, the majority of these followers I have no connection to! Which, I have to admit, is really surprising to me as I was not expecting much in the way of followers.
It was also pretty amazing to learn from where these followers were from. In fact, two followers that I gained early in the semester are of anthropology departments/ anthropology clubs from Canada and New Zealand. I just could not believe that an anthropology group from New Zealand would be interested in following the ramblings of a single grad student from the University of West Florida. But, they are interested, and I was just as interested in them. I have to admit, though, I was really excited about that!
So far, I have made a total of 75 posts on Tumblr. Some gained a little attention, and others seemed to garner nothing. My most popular post by far, however, gained a total, so far, of 221 notes, which are composed of a mixture of “likes” and reblogged notices. It was an Anthropology Major Fox meme about mentally undressing someone’s skin in order to see he or she’s skeletal structure. I think it was a hit with the other anthropologists on Tumblr, and even perhaps some people that are not associated with anthropology. I know I liked it! I still occasionally get a notice of someone “liking” or reblogging that particular post. I posted that picture some time ago, and it really surprises me that the image is still being circulated. In this way, I really can see how social media has a way of continuously transferring information, regardless of how old or new that information may be. I suppose that information always ends up being new to someone.
I am still not sure if this social media project really fulfilled a need for me. It definitely helped connect me to more people than I ever thought I could be connected to. I also see the potential in Tumblr in so far as if I ever need help or advice in anthropology. It has given me the ability to connect to a network of people involved in anthropology outside of my university’s department. I suppose in that way it has fulfilled some sort of spot in my academic career that I really did not consider when I originally started this project. For that reason, I want to continue with Tumblr. I will also continue with it because I find it fun and enjoyable. I like reading the posts of my fellow anthropologists. It is surprising how much current news I learn from Tumblr first over other social media formats and even the news. It has definitely become a new source of news, information, and knowledge for me that I did not expect.
![science-junkie:
Modern Europe’s Genetic History Starts in Stone AgeBy Ker ThanEuropeans as a people are younger than we thought, a new study suggests.DNA recovered from ancient skeletons reveals that the genetic makeup of modern Europe was established around 4,500 B.C. in the mid-Neolithic—or 6,500 years ago—and not by the first farmers who arrived in the area around 7,500 years ago or by earlier hunter-gatherer groups. “The genetics show that something around that point caused the genetic signatures of previous populations to disappear,” said Alan Cooper, director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, where the research was performed. “However, we don’t know what happened or why, and [the mid-Neolithic] has not been previously identified as [a time] of major change,” he said.Furthermore, the origins of the mid-Neolithic populations that did form the basis of modern Europe are also unknown.“This population moves in around 4,000 to 5,000 [B.C.], but where it came from remains a mystery, as we can’t see anything like it in the areas surrounding Europe,” Cooper said.The surprising findings are part of a new study, published in this week’s issue of the journal Nature Communications, that provides the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe.The study shows that “relatively recent migrations seem to have had a significant genetic impact on the population of Central Europe,” said study co-author Spencer Wells, who leads National Geographic’s Genographic Project.
Read moreImages: [x][x]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/0426361da18edf5c9334ca7db127f485/tumblr_mlt8yvLIe51rd1n1oo1_r1_400.png)
![anthrocentric:
Biometric Evidence that Sexual Selection Has Shaped the Hominin Face [PLOSone]
Abstract: We consider sex differences in human facial morphology in the context of developmental change. We show that at puberty, the height of the upper face, between the lip and the brow, develops differently in males and females, and that these differences are not explicable in terms of sex differences in body size. We find the same dimorphism in the faces of human ancestors. We propose that the relative shortening in men and lengthening in women of the anterior upper face at puberty is the mechanistic consequence of extreme maxillary rotation during ontogeny. A link between this developmental model and sexual dimorphism is made for the first time, and provides a new set of morphological criteria to sex human crania. This finding has important implications for the role of sexual selection in the evolution of anthropoid faces and for theories of human facial attractiveness.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/bd80fd64adc4dcea879efa7991cf6551/tumblr_mj1yjxCUgU1rfy49no1_400.jpg)
![science-junkie:
New bird flu strain seen adapting to mammals, humans
A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential to spark a new global flu pandemic…“The human isolates, but not the avian and environmental ones, have a protein mutation that allows for efficient growth in human cells and that also allows them to grow at a temperature that corresponds to the upper respiratory tract of humans, which is lower than you find in birds,” says Kawaoka, a leading expert on avian influenza.So far, the new virus has sickened at least 33 people, killing nine. Although it is too early to predict its potential to cause a pandemic, signs that the virus is adapting to mammalian and, in particular, human hosts are unmistakable, says Kawaoka [of UW-Madison and the University of Tokyo].Access to the genetic information in the viruses, he adds, is necessary for understanding how the virus is evolving and for developing a candidate vaccine to prevent infection.Influenza virus depends on its ability to attach to and commandeer the living cells of its host to replicate and spread efficiently. Avian influenza rarely infects humans, but can sometimes adapt to people, posing a significant risk to human health.Read more
Image: [x]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/c1d5c9b860fc25b497d5c0214806b342/tumblr_ml78q0Zyoh1rd1n1oo1_r2_400.jpg)
