#whatistumblr

i keep forgetting tumblr exists

... I was going to say sad.

... what I wouldn’t have done for a gif library back in 2012 when I killed a laptop by filling it with Maddison and Addek gifs.

Wait, so what’s a Tumblr?

According to Boone, 2012, David Karp started Tumblr in 2007 as a microblogging and social networking website. He was inspired by Chris Neukirchen, a German high school student who invented the tumblelog system as well as Marcel Molina and Sam Stephenson, two Americans who started a blog project called “Projectionist”. Tumblr is a platform for short-form blogs also known as tumblelog which consists of various content ranging from photos, videos, audios to animated GIFs. At the same time, Tumblr offers social media features such as like, reply, share, reblog, so on and so forth. With that being said, is Tumblr a blog or social networking service? Could it be both?

Let’s Explore!

A blog is an online journal or informational website displaying content in reverse chronological order with the most recent post appearing first. It’s considered as a one-way communication where writers share their thoughts on a subject to the audience without expecting much interaction. (Djuraskovic, 2018)

On the other hand, social networking service (SNS) is an online platform to build a relationship with others who share an interest, background or even real relationship. It’s considered as a two-way communication where users engage with others through liking, sharing, commenting and even instant messaging. (Kenton, 2018)

Looking at the features Tumblr has to offer, we can further break them down into blog features and social media features. As for features of a blog, Tumblr is built with seven distinct post types such as text, photo, quote, link, chat, audio and video. These options are accessible through dashboard making it a user-friendly interface as it’s straightforward. A writer is able to express thoughts and ideas creatively through a varied and content-rich platform. Blog posts created don’t have to be published immediately as it can be scheduled or queued for a certain time. Posts on Tumblr can also be set to private according to the writer’s preference. Another interesting feature would be the customization of a blog. Tumblr allows a customised URL for the page which would be a huge advantage for blog owners who are concern about SEO. An extensive theme is available for writers to customize pages which help them to create and curate content that is unique to the writer themselves and the readers.

As for social media features, every Tumblr blog can create a personal profile with information and photo. These users then follow other blogs of their specific interest similar to the following feature on Instagram and are followed in return. Any updates from these blogs will appear on the dashboard which is similar to the feed of Facebook. Blog owners are able to interact with one another through liking post, reblogging or even leaving a comment like any other social media platform such as Facebook. These social and community features encourage users to find or promote the content of interest so that they are able to interact with like-minded users. This is why memes, fandoms and even adult contents exist on Tumblr. Sharing feature on Tumblr has also encouraged the sharing of content outside Tumblr through linked Facebook or Twitter account.

Before I conclude,

Ultimately, whether Tumblr is a blog or SNS, it really depends on how a person uses and experiences Tumblr. If a person uses Tumblr to post thoughts, music or even memes, that person is most likely using Tumblr as a blog. If another person then likes and reblogs thoughts, music and other memes, then that person is probably using Tumblr as SNS. However, this doesn’t limit how and why a person uses Tumblr because it could be for both reasons as well.

Bibliography  

Boone, B. (2012). How Tumblr Works. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/tumblr.htm [Accessed 30 Mar. 2019].

Djuraskovic, O. (2018). What is a Blog? - Explanation of Terms Blog, Blogging & Blogger (2019). [online] Firstsiteguide.com. Available at: https://firstsiteguide.com/what-is-blog/ [Accessed 31 Mar. 2019].

Kenton, W. (2018). Social Networking Service (SNS). [online] Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-networking-service-sns.asp [Accessed 31 Mar. 2019].