A linguistic analysis of tumblr hyperbole in the tags
This post expands my previous analysis of hyperbolic reactions to cluster tags by themes. There were too many themes, some of them overlapping, to create a cohesive graph. Instead, I present several overarching themes from a data set of 50 tags observed and documented in various corners of tumblr.
1. Feeling Normal™️
Tags within this cluster profess Normal feelings (read: extreme excitement, enthusiasm, obsession, derangement, etc.).
#mmmmrrrghuhhhhghhh #I'm so normal about it teehee
#absolutely not rending my clothing #feeling very normal and not feral at all
#i will simply never recover #gif sets sent to personally destroy me
#i can't cope #the eyes #i'm a puddle
#i am INCONSOLABLE #i am DISTRAUGHT
#IM NOT OKKAAAAAAYYYYYY
#FEELING TOTALLY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT NORMAL
2. Feralness
The following data points conjure animalistic behavior. There’s a non-zero amount of biting and chewing involved.
#chomping biting barking
#biting my arms off
#rattling my cage
#[incoherent biting noises]
#chewing glass
#chewing through wood
#*shaking the bars of my enclosure* HELLO!!!!!!!!
#climbing the walls
#biting gnawing chewing
#im gonna rip off my front door and eat it
3. Noisy Emotional Outbursts
These tags encompass crying, screaming, yelling, and other loud reactions.
# shaking sobbing crying
#SCREAMIIIING BANGING MY HEAD ON THE WALL
#*no thoughts only wailing*
#i am SOBBING
#IM CRYING LIKE A BITCH
#*just fucking yelling*
#S C R E A M
#screeching into a pillow
#brb sobbing for 5-7 business years
4. Throwing
All of these tags except the last one involve being thrown instead of throwing things. I, personally, am entertained by the range of places/situations people are throwing themselves into.
#i am going to THROW MYSELF into the SEA
#hurl me into the sea
#hurl me into the sun
#trebuchet me into the sun
#hurl me straight at europa
#vent me out of an airlock
#slam me against a wall
#put me in a box and throw me down the stairs
#throwing myself into traffic you know?
#just defenestrate me already
#defenestrate me #absolutely hurl me through plate glass
#i'm going to start tossing furniture
5. Bodily Harm
There’s a good deal of overlap with the previous theme. Nearly all of the tags involving throwing would result in varying degrees of bodily harm. Here are the tags outside of the Throwing subgroup.
#im going to throw upppppp
#tearing my hair out
#banging my head against the wall
#SCREAMIIIING BANGING MY HEAD ON THE WALL
#biting my arms off
#microwaving myself
#crumple me up and microwave me
6. Absurdism
My personal favorite cluster. The imagery conjured and resulting comedic hyperbole is just [chef’s kiss].
#im gonna rip off my front door and eat it
#crumple me up and microwave me
#put me in a box and throw me down the stairs
#defenestrate me #absolutely hurl me through plate glass
7. Keysmashes
These tags center less around meaning and more around style, so they form the last group. A handful of these could fall under Noisy Emotional Outbursts because they represent reaction noises. In my linguistic judgment, keysmashing increases the hyperbole – consider augh versus aughfhghghghhh – the latter reads as prolonged and more intense emotionally.
#aghdjakgsjadhjaka *
#hrhrhrhgnnnghhhhh
#aughfhghghghhh
#mmmmrrrghuhhhhghhh #I'm so normal about it teehee
#waughfhghghh
#oughhhhghghhh
*one digression in a friend discord server was how people interpret keysmashes in their minds. Some hear the first couple letters and then some sputtering, others hear static. It’s a common joke that you need a minor in linguistics to understand conversations in this friend group. Such is the nature of things when the chaos linguist energy is strong.
737 notes
·
View notes
women online: *say men should be stripped of body autonomy, laugh at men’s suicide rates, say being attracted to men is flawed, make fun of them for behaviour that’s caused by being traumatised by male socialisation, pretend that women never contribute to toxic masculinity, think trans men are “better” than cis men cause deep down they still think we are really just females.* it’s just a joke lol
A singular man online: women are annoying lol
Women: DISGUSTING MISOGYNY!! YOU ARE LITERALLY CONTRIBUTING TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN!!!!1
137 notes
·
View notes
you have to promise me none of you will ever make a poll for which MCRP character has the biggest tits cuz the idea of BBH getting beat by a more popular character despite the fact that he obviously has the biggest tits … it breaks my heart just to think about it . I don’t want there to even be a chance of that happening man . it’s literally my biggest fear . so never do it . never even risk doing that to me
109 notes
·
View notes
Sometimes I feel like a poser in the Linux community because for some reason you all just found me, and I'm ashamed to admit that my daily driver slice of Linux is Zorin OS. That's like walking up to a bunch of Olympic Cyclists and being like "Yeah, you could say I'm a bit of cyclist myself. Check out my sick ride," and the camera pans to a neon pink kiddy bicycle from Walmart that has training wheels and handle bar tassels.
52 notes
·
View notes
No one is aware of how obsessed I am from my essence of being a philologist, which is the entire core of my person, and that Taylor has released an album called Tortured Poets and an Anthology on these piano poems 📜🎹 !! (more than songs, they feel like piano poems) everything is hyperbole and an exaggeration of the tragedy and I LOVE it entirely
@taylorswift thank you I adore this album and I protect and appreciate these lyrics with my heart
14 notes
·
View notes
life is truly bereft of any hope or meaning. tried to step on a crunchy leaf and the wind blew it away from me. betrayed. devastated. et tu wind??? really???
14 notes
·
View notes