Back in the early to mid-2010s, Tumblr was the social media platform of choice for the terminally online teen/young adult. In 2014, the platform peaked at over 100 million blog posts a day. But soon after its 2013 acquisition by Yahoo, the platform started banning adult content — a decision that was met with much criticism from its user base. Soon after these changes, Tumblr user activity started declining, and today, the site sees only around 11 million daily post. (In comparison, Twitter gets around 500 million tweets daily.)
The glory days of Tumblr may have seemed set firmly in the past, but due to the recent drama in the Twitter HQ, it looks like things may be turning around. Here’s everything you need to know about Tumblr’s potential comeback.
What’s happening at Twitter?
Ever since Twitter fell into the hands of billionaire and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, a string of issues has surrounded his takeover (see: an $8 monthly subscription for verification marks, employee layoffs, and an exodus of advertisers). Some netizens who have had enough of Musk’s shenanigans are already looking for their next go-to virtual space. Could Tumblr be the best alternative? Many folks think so.
But wait, Ryan Reynolds is on Tumblr?!
If you need an indication on where things might be headed–@VancityReynolds just started a Tumblr. pic.twitter.com/7YaVIJjQwR
— Jon-Stephen Stansel (@jsstansel) November 4, 2022
Amid the ongoing Twitter fiasco, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds announced his Tumblr arrival by posting two hilarious Deadpool GIF images. It didn’t take that long for his post to get flooded with thousands of likes and reblogs. Can you imagine if more celebrities join the platform? That would be so iconic!
Even Tumblr has made a Twitter thread on why you should join! Scroll down to see some of the reasons that might lure you to Tumblr.
Reasons to come back to Tumblr: A thread
Tumblr even made its own Twitter thread of reasons to jump ship. The irony isn’t lost on us, but we can respect the hustle.
Reason to Join Tumblr #2:@neilhimself hangs out and will show up unexpectedly
— tumblr dot com the website and app (@tumblr) November 6, 2022
Imagine interacting with Neil Gaiman. uWu
Reason to Join Tumblr #5:
Ridiculously huge character limit. Host your whole fic!
We don’t care!— tumblr dot com the website and app (@tumblr) November 6, 2022
BRB! Posting fanfics with never-ending sequels!
Reason to Join Tumblr #10:
We have an edit button (and it’s free)— tumblr dot com the website and app (@tumblr) November 6, 2022
OoOOOoH! 👀
A call for support
i am begging yall if you are crossing over to tumblr, continue to lend as much support by sharing/reblogging and following us as much as you did here for your favorite artist(s)! this whole thing is terrifying for a lot of artists who got 99% of their livelihood from twitter.
— bunnie 🍰 support indie animation 🖍 see pinned 🧸 (@strawbunnycakes) November 7, 2022
Some people are concerned that once people start migrating to Tumblr, artists who depend on Twitter for their livelihood will struggle. This is why some are calling on people to continue supporting artists, especially creatives who get their livelihood off Twitter.
“Don’t treat it like Twitter.”
friends who are thinking of moving to tumblr and have never been there before, the only thing I beg is that you learn the environment there and don’t treat it like twitter.
— Rowan (@HigherMagic) November 4, 2022
Meanwhile, other users are pointing out that Tumblr newbies shouldn’t treat it Twitter. They mentioned key differences between the two platforms such as tagging, visibility of follower counts, and boosting your content, among others.
But it won’t be smooth sailing
yeah bc like 12 new ppl joined
give it a sec 😇 https://t.co/baoExnLB3z— tumblr dot com the website and app (@tumblr) November 6, 2022
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Have you tried using Tumblr before? Let us know in the comments.
