If you came of age in the Instagram and TikTok era, you’re likely not as familiar with Tumblr’s appeal. But looking at its About page will tell you a lot about its character and personality. 

“Wholesome chaos” was the phrase used to describe the site’s contents. It also encourages self-expression because “Tumblr is whatever you want it to be.”

The internet defines Tumblr as a microblog. However, its founder, David Karp, does not use this description. In an interview with Media Bistro, he describes it as “the easiest way to share yourself.” 

Karp also emphasizes Tumblr’s flexibility regarding the type of content users can create. Because it is easy for anyone to self-publish, he believes it helped draw in a broad audience. 

“It’s the gay people in your phone” is another description written on the site. This comes from Tumblr’s similar claim to be the “queerest place on the internet.” 

According to Adweek statistics published in 2021, one in four users on the platform identify as LGBTQIA+. A Tumblr user is also said to be 193% more likely to be part of the queer community compared to other social networking sites.

To solidify Tumblr’s reputation as queer-friendly, Sydney-based writer and photographer Jonno Revanche wrote an article for The Guardian in 2016. Here, he described the platform as his “saviour” that made him see he “wasn’t monstrous and unloveable.”

“While it may seem simple or silly, social media allowed me to express elements of myself I felt like I couldn’t in my day-to-day life,” he wrote. 

Tumblr seems to have always catered to a younger, more progressive audience. For author and DePaul University professor Allison McCracken, it became the youth’s “best option for an online ‘private’ public space.” 

In a journal article she published in 2017, she credits the platform’s ability to “bring a broader range of voices” than any college classroom could. She also believes Tumblr was able to “offer developed minority representation” when the media wasn’t able to.

Despite its reach and popularity among the younger demographic, Tumblr had its fair share of controversies. In 2018, it announced a prohibition on “adult content” after an iOS ban on the app due to child pornography issues. 

In an official statement, Tumblr assured its users that it would continue to work to keep the platform a “safe place for creative expression, self-discovery, and a deep sense of community.” However, it received backlash, with affected users attacking its queer-friendly claim.

By the time the controversy arose, Tumblr had already spiked in value and had been sold to media giant Yahoo! for a whopping $1.1 billion in 2013. In an interview with Inc. at the time of the sale, Karp admitted he wasn’t expecting it to happen that year. However, a “remarkable opportunity” presented itself. 

“This was an unbelievable opportunity to shortcut a lot of the very hard things that we’re about to be going through,” he explained.

Tumblr remained with Yahoo! for four years before moving to Verizon Media. Two years later, in 2019, Verizon sold the platform to Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com. 

This time, the price tag was far less. Reports didn’t specify the amount, but it was believed to be “well below” $20 million, a far cry from its original purchase value.

Now, we’re shifting the attention to you, dear readers. What do you think about Tumblr as a social media platform? Where do you think it stands in comparison to TikTok and Instagram? Let’s create a discussion in the comments!