Trauma Dumping slang term depicted by an image of a garbage truck dumping trash into a landfill.

Trauma Dumping

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Updated Aug 20, 2021 at 07:54PM EDT by Zach.

Added Aug 19, 2021 at 04:30PM EDT by Philipp.

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About

Trauma Dumping is a slang expression describing an act of unexpectedly sharing an unsolicited personal trauma story, such as a story sent to a streamer in a message accompanying a donation. The practice has achieved public attention in mid-2021, with memes commenting on it and parodying it becoming more widespread.

Origin

"Trauma dumping" is a specified term within the broader category of "emotional dumping." The term "emotional dumping," meaning unprompted oversharing of personal feelings and anxieties with another person, has been used online approximately since the late 2010s. On February 24th, 2010, Urban Dictionary[1] user JLLee added a definition for the term to the website, where it gained over 8,500 thumbs up in 11 years (seen below).

Unloading all of your emotional crap unmercifully onto one or more of your friends.

The earliest found instances of the use of the term "trauma dumping" are Twitter[2][3] posts by various users made starting in July 2017 (example shown below, left). On August 22nd, 2018, Twitter[4] user @FeelingFrisky made the earliest viral tweet about trauma dumping (shown below, center). The tweet received over 2,600 retweets and 10,400 likes in three years. On August 23rd, @FeelingFrisky made a tweet[5] in which they gave a definition to the term (shown below, right).


RosieTRiveter @RosieTRi. · Jul 17, 2017 Everyone - w/all due respect: If you wouldn't expect the guys to perform a surgical procedure on you - don't ask them to be your ... therapist. 27 12 47 5 RosieTRiveter ... @RosieTRiveter Replying to @RosieTRiveter It's not the time or place to trauma- dump. It's s'posed 2B a fun time. Write them a letter if u have something really emotional to share. 3:02 PM - Jul 17, 2017 · Twitter Web Client person of painting experience (pope) @FeelingFisky ... Open up to someone, but without trauma dumping 9:17 PM · Apr 22, 2018 · Twitter for iPhone person of painting experience (pope) @FeelingFisky ... In short, it's the abrupt (often unprompted) oversharing of traumatic information/stories about your life, often in a one-sided manner (one person sharing while the other(s) is stuck listening) 12:39 PM - Apr 23, 2018 · Twitter for iPhone

Spread

In 2018 and 2019, the term did not see active use; however, several tweets[6] discussing trauma dumping gained limited traction. This includes September 25th, 2018, and September 30th, 2019, tweets[7][8] by user @FeelingFrisky, the latter of which received over 930 retweets and 4,700 likes in two years (shown below, left). On July 27th, 2020, Twitter[9] user @sailorguardian posted a viral tweet about trauma dumping that gained over 21,900 retweets and 96,000 likes in one year (shown below, right).


person of painting experience (pope) @FeelingFisky ... the real first base is accidentally trauma dumping then wondering if they're gonna ghost you 1:55 PM - Sep 30, 2019 · Twitter for iPhone ... @sailorguardian black women really shouldn't have to trauma dump in order to receive basic empathy. 3:27 PM - Jul 27, 2020 · Twitter for iPhone

On July 7th, 2021, Twitter[10] user @glittergoatss posted the first viral meme about trauma dumping, a reaction image meme about adult Tumblr users unloading their personal issues onto teenage users based on an image of Family Guy character Lois breaking down in front of her infant son Stewie. The post gained over 9,200 retweets and 95,100 likes (shown below).


Avi ... @glittergoatss Grown ass adults trauma dumping on their 13 year old tumblr friends 8:54 PM - Jul 7, 2021 - Twitter for Android .........

In mid-August 2021, the term achieved its viral phase within public discourse on social media, with multiple viral posts and memes about trauma dumping being posted on Twitter and other sites.

Various Examples


That one guy traumadumping The Streamer Chat ... How to Nail a First Date by Trauma-Dumping on Each Other: ow.ly/zG4a50B7VIn Reductress @Reductress DER 140 2:30 PM - Aug 25, 2020 · Hootsuite Inc. lav | m/w lenah ... @AlIMightWannabe i swear kids in mha think trauma dumping on deku is a great bonding exercise. amymomortes, my mother is always crying. Why was I the one who ended All Might?! Somneno oyom whe a born wih he tdeal Curk 2:59 PM · Aug 17, 2021 · Twitter for iPhone
ash e ... @ashistired_ THIS IS SO SAPNAP MY MAN WHATS WITH THE RANDOM TRAUMA DUMP Transcription of a clip from Sapnap's 08/14/21 stream, "FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS IN VR WITH KARL". Clip from @pissbarbie on Twitter. Transcribed by @DTEAMPOD on Twitter. SAPNAP I don't wanna play, I don't wanna- KARL You have to play. SAPNAP I don't have to do s---. KARL You have to play. I don't have to do anything I don't wanna do. SAPNAP KARL [laughing slightly] It's your stream! SAPNAP That's what my mom told me when I was little, 'Nick, you don't do anything you don't wanna do.' I don't wanna do this, how 'bout that? How 'bout that, Mom? I don't wanna do this B-------! F------ liar! My mom's a f------ liar, she lied to me! 10:36 PM · Aug 14, 2021 - Twitter Web App THIS IS WHERE I WATCHED MY PARENTS DIE, RAPHAEL. stop trauma dumping? ... @silvergelpen "trauma dumping" should not mean "mentioning something bad that has happened to you" 3:53 PM · Aug 15, 2021 · Twitter for Android

Search Interest

External References

[1] Urban Dictionary – Emotional dump

[2] Twitter – @RosieTRiveter

[3] Twitter – @xoxorubenangel

[4] Twitter – @FeelingFisky

[5] Twitter – @FeelingFisky

[6] Twitter – @Wilfreyy

[7] Twitter – @FeelingFisky

[8] Twitter – @FeelingFisky

[9] Twitter – @saiIorguardian

[10] Twitter – @glittergoatss

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