Coming in May! Return To The Ballpit: A Dashcon 2 Podcast

July 11-13, 2014. A weekend of infamy for the chronically online. At an overly-large convention center in Schaumberg, Illinois, a group of fandom-loving bloggers had set out to create the world’s first Tumblr convention. They called it Dashcon, named after the “dashboard” feed that Tumblr users scroll through, seeing content “reblogged” by people they follow. As the story goes, the convention was a logistical nightmare and is remembered largely for its failures and memes. Over 10 years later, a new team has decided to reinvigorate the idea and give Dashcon another go, this time right here in Toronto!

I have contacted the team in charge of Dashcon 2 and received their blessing (and exclusive interviews!) to create a podcast following the process of planning and executing the convention. When tickets were released on February 22nd, the 550 or so tickets sold out in less than an hour (and managed to crash the website). The convention will be small, but there is quite a bit of interest surrounding it, and Toronto YouTube creator Strange Aeons’ video about the first Dashcon (which teases her attendance at Dashcon 2) has over 800,000 views. I would hope that this podcast would give those who can’t attend the convention a chance to follow it from conception to execution.

I’ve been on Tumblr since 2014 myself, and it has a very, let’s say, vibrant culture. Good and bad. Because it’s based off of networks of user reposts instead of an algorithm, and still gives the option to view posts in chronological order, a lot of folks who are disillusioned with current social media landscapes flock there, and it has historically been a major hub of fandom activity, social justice discourse, and even long-form experimental fiction and ARG projects. Considering EDI principles in this project, I will be seeking to consider questions of accessibility with the convention, as well as discussing Tumblr’s role in gathering together communities of marginalized people, and working to provide a diverse sample of perspectives. This podcast fits nicely into my venn diagram as someone who is very interested in Tumblr culture and journalism, and who has unique access to the event and the team.