In Defense of Tumblr
“It’s for the noobs and teenagers.”
“Only weirdos spend their time there.”
“Have you not been on Reddit?”
“I didn’t realize people still used Tumblr.”
These are just a few responses you may encounter when expressing your interest in Tumblr. What used to be a cool and hip website has recently become old news to most of the online world. Unfortunately many have turned their heads when it comes to this microblogging domain in favor of either more professional or more less popular platforms. The combination of social networking and simple blogging provides both entertainment as well as the ability to share interests and opinions with thousands of people with a simple click.
It’s Nice to Have Friends
Those who have abandoned Tumblr due to it’s popularity simply do not understand what they’re missing. The number of users is one of the best parts about this online experience. Without doubt you can find someone with similar interests as yours, and probably even someone exactly like yourself. Bloggers post everything from their homemade lunch to GIF sets from their favorite TV shows.
With the comment and messaging features on the site people across the globe have become companions and have even fallen in love. You can never have too many friends. Cultural fandoms have ignited and exploded due to the common interest of many on Tumblr. Search any popular reference on the site and you’ll see to what I am referring to.
It’s Nice to Share
For those who are interested in blogging but lack the patience and/or skills it takes to design, build, and publish an original website, Tumblr is the perfect stepping stone or replacement. Tumblr offers the capability to easily customize your blog to match your tastes. Bloggers are able to post their personal images and stories if they so choose quickly and efficiently. There is no shame in a Tumblr blog when the quality of material is there.
It’s nice to unwind
Some Tumblr users don’t even post content themselves, but browse the posts of others. This can be addictive and entertaining, I know first hand. One simple search and you’re on your way to hours of chuckles and seemingly wasted time. There are reposts to be found, sure, but tons of original content as well. Artists of all kinds show off their skills on Tumblr. All for your enjoyment.
Yahoo + Tumblr = Uncool
Yahoo has been losing its popularity for the past three to five years now, and in May of 2013 they announced that they were buying Tumblr for $1.1 billion. That’s a lot of dough. We have yet to see too many extra ads or gross messages from Yahoo themselves, so maybe the buy isn’t the end of the world. But it’s quite obvious that Yahoo wants Tumble for their cool, which ultimately makes them very uncool. When a small, hip company is bought out by another cool, trendy company, that can be cool. But in this case, the number of return visitors to Tumblr has dropped tremendously.
Can you find teenagers, noobs and weirdos on Tumblr these day? Sure. But that’s true for every corner of the internet. Tumblr continues to offer endless possibilities for posters and browsers alike. Tumblr presents about 108.4 million blogs with 50.9 billion posts. If that’s not something worth looking into, then I don’t know what is.
There are plenty of opinions on the web, but take a look at the site and see for yourself why so many people spend their free time reblogging and interacting with others on this giant mega-blog.