The Internet's Favorite Hellsite and Its Ancient Memory: Tumblr
Pavani Mantripragada
December 20, 2022. 1 minute Read
I remember the days when I was super obsessed with Tumblr. Mainly the years when I was obsessed with Harry Potter, John Green, and Percy Jackson and had the average teenage Fangirl life. Tumblr was my default space during those days. Even today, I’d hop back into Tumblr.
Tumblr was launched in 2007 by David Karp. Later it was acquired by Yahoo! in 2013. It was quite a popular app. Taylor Swift fans used a famous phrase for her Tumblr scrolling, ‘Taylurking, such that even Mark Ruffalo and Taylor Swift were on Tumblr.
But what exactly was all the hype about Tumblr?
Tumblr is a microblogging site. Its most prominent feature was reblogging, where you could add to the previous comments as an additional part and share it further. Tumblr was famous as a fansite area. All the fans could connect with the other fans. Though many would consider it a weird Fangirl behavior outside, Tumblr could take up things, and you’d find thousands of others with a similar mindset on Tumblr.
Tumblr was also very famous for spreading art. Digital art and even paintings. You could share about anything. Be it all about your love for a tv show, a book, a movie, or another. Hence, Tumblr has become a place for everyone. Though there was a phase where people would steal others’ art from Tumblr and appropriate it as their own, it has now reduced. Tumblr has a large variety of customizable profiles. Color themes, layouts, fonts, and others. Unlike other platforms, Tumblr doesn’t have a personal space. It is all public. Many introverts would choose Tumblr as a way to connect with others.
Then What Happened To Tumblr?
Just like the timeline of every social media app, as the generation changes, so do children and their way of expression. What was an emotional getaway for the shy, introverted, and have-a-lot-to-say teenagers changed when the newer generation became increasingly interested in showing themselves to the world and becoming influencers.
Tiktok, Twitter, Instagram, and SnapChat had arrived where one can instantly get famous. It had a model allowing users to fetch revenue using their face value. Tumblr didn’t have that feature to offer. Tumblr wasn’t a site that could let users make money. Tumblr was a place for art and aesthetics. People could commission art personally from the artists, which was the only way to make money. Naturally, Tumblr lost its glory to a generation more attracted to being influencers, getting instantly famous, and having people know their faces.
Secondly, the problem was with the app’s interface. It was buggy. The search engine was almost ineffective. It was impossible to make money for users on Tumblr. Effectively, it had become known as ‘our favorite hellsite’ by all those who were on Tumblr.
Some Facts About Tumblr
- It was first acquired by Yahoo! In 2013 and then by Verizon Media in 2017. Since 2019, Tumblr has belonged to Automattic, a parent company of WordPress.
- Tumblr has around 2400 employees. 57% of these are women.
- There are around 171 billion blogs on Tumblr.
- Many celebrities are on Tumblr but don't have a verified account.
- It has an annual revenue of USD 80-100 million.
- You can use Tumblr in 18 languages.
Final Thoughts
Tumblr had always been the place for all the progressives and others to hop on. Almost 1 in 4 users of Tumblr identified themselves as LGBTQ. Celebrities such as John Green, Beyonce, Zayn, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, John Mayer, Lana Del Rey, Karlie Kloss, and many more are on Tumblr.
