I thought there was no way I could love Tumblr more than I do – I am totally and completely addicted to the website.
But my love was not cemented until Monday night when my dash was flooded with posts supporting the citizens of Libya. A good percentage of my followers – all of whom usually post about Korean pop – devoted nearly two hours to posting about the genocide that’s happening right now.

The outpouring of support for the African nation surprised me. But I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Tumblr users are a caliber above all other social networkers.
Because of the posts appearing on our dashes, my sister and I spent an hour watching CNN and hearing firsthand accounts of what is going on. Two women risked their lives to recount what occurred in their neighborhoods. One of the women had taped the sound of machine gunfire. That was more than enough to choke me up and widen my eyes.
Reading about the atrocities happening in Libya is sickening; seeing pictures is even worse. Monday night, I read about how .50-caliber bullets are being used against the people of Libya. Tuesday morning, I saw what a .50-caliber bullet looks like, as well as what it does to people – it tears them apart. That’s not something I want to see again.
Twitter users were also showing their support by retweeting Libyans who are revealing the truth.
And what was happening on Facebook while Tumblr and Twitter users were showing their support? Nothing. Everyone was talking about their problems and their day. The only statuses I saw about Libya came from people I know who have Tumblrs. And of course, there’s the now-infamous celebrity gossip site, ThisIsBrandX.com, that said the most important news story of the day was Justin Bieber’s haircut. Really? His hair is more important than the ongoing massacre in Libya? I’m sure it was meant as a joke, but the killing of innocent people should never be joked about.
But amid all the despair, I read a post that made the most informed statement I have seen in a while. It read, “This is not a sign of the world ending. This is a domino effect of people wanting freedom.”
The support of Libya shows me that my generation is not as apathetic as we are assumed to be. We care deeply and I wish we could do something more than hitting “reblog.”

BRENNA PETERS
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