Social media as third spaces? Exploring Muslim identity and connection in Tumblr

Third spaces have been imagined as sites of resistance, where hegemonic and normative understandings of the world may be challenged. New media are often imagined to have this liberatory potential as well, particularly for those individuals who experience social, cultural, or political marginalization. This research considers whether social media might help facilitate third spaces. It takes as a case for exploring this topic the experience of 188 Muslim bloggers in social networking site Tumblr. Many of these individuals live in non-Muslim majority countries and say they sometimes feel stuck between identities. The qualitative analysis of their blogs, as well as interviews with 30 of the bloggers, seeks to understand how Tumblr can facilitate third spaces where these bloggers can explore the hybrid nature of their identities while connecting to others who share that experience