For a very long time, Tumblr was treated like a snippet from a forgotten glorious past. However, it looks like things are changing for the better because Tumblr is once again spreading its adventurous wings. Tumblr has announced that it will allow nudity on the platform again owing to the freedom of artistic expression. Although we might not see a complete retention of the past glory, something is always better than nothing. The previously forbidden content is making a comeback in the name of artistic expression, and we cannot help but suspect if this has anything to do with the mass exodus from Twitter following Elon Musk’s takeover. Read along to know more.
The What And Why
Tumblr bringing back the previously forbidden shades of nudity in the platform is perhaps a way to attract former and present users. It cannot be overlooked that this great return is timed exactly to match the proposed mass exodus from Twitter in response to Musk’s takeover.
Tumblr’s days of glory came to a dramatic end in 2018 after the blogging platform put a ban on adult content. Following the ban, the platform’s traffic dropped by 30 percent. Perhaps this new development is an attempt to undo some of the damage caused by the ban and to make the platform a sex-positive place that embraces and allows nudity.
“We now welcome a broader range of expression, creativity, and art on Tumblr, including content depicting the human form (yes, that includes the naked human form),” Tumblr said in a post on its staff blog.
All you have to do to share creations that contain nudity, sexual themes, or mature subject matter is use the appropriate Community Label. This is to ensure that people are in control of what they choose to see on the platform thereby reaching an anodyne balance. Community Labels were introduced in September. This allows users to mark their content in accordance with whatever they depict. Community Labels allow the platform to draw a non-judgemental line of artistic freedom which is not completely devoid of control.
Tumblr vs Twitter
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and some of the changes proposed by the ‘Chief Twit’ failed to gain the approval of a good majority of users. It is in this context that Tumblr enters the spotlight as a potential alternative to Twitter. Some are even of the opinion that the new announcement allowing nudity might prove to be a death blow. Only time will tell if Tumblr will make a return to its glorious days. For now, let us flip through a couple of responses on Twitter.
Tumblr is now allowing nudity pic.twitter.com/TXRXaR6zsF
— ScreenTime (@screentime) November 2, 2022
https://twitter.com/doubleca5t/status/1587534402719870976?s=20&t=hcOI8_VoPgQHGpAl1CMo2A
Tumblr coming in for the deathblow by letting you post naked pics again pic.twitter.com/XRQV7E5h9t
— Lily Simpson is putting the T(rans) in YouTube (@LilySimpson1312) November 1, 2022
Tumblr's in a fascinating position right now in that they could shift all the power in social media circles and put the death blow on Twitter if they just unbanned boobs.
— Dylan Macri, Cadhla182, Commissions Open (@Dylan_Macri) October 28, 2022
It's official. Tumblr waved the white flag, y'all.
Having shot their foot off years ago, today, they have decided to put away the gun. https://t.co/B9WzVuX5a1
— Iron Spike (@Iron_Spike) November 2, 2022
why tumblr can’t just “bring back the porn” in direct and plain language: https://t.co/QaDI6xZxSW
— lacey @byelacey.bsky.social (@byelacey) November 2, 2022
