When Did Tumblr Lose Its Spark?
Ah, Tumblr! Once the glittering kingdom of GIFs, fan art, and (let’s be honest) questionable life choices. But when did this platform—a beacon of creativity—face the proverbial “popularity swan dive”? Let’s cut to the chase.
Back in the magical year of 2014, Tumblr was riding high with around 200 million blogs, becoming the social media darling of teens and weird adults alike. However, things began to shift around 2018 with a move that can only be described as the adult content apocalypse. In December of that year, the platform issued a blanket ban on adult content, which, surprise surprise, lost Tumblr approximately 30% of its active users within a mere 30 days! Just like that—poof! The user base fell faster than a cat meme in peril.
Statistics from Similarweb illustrate the harsh reality: from October 2018 to October 2021, visits to Tumblr plummeted a staggering 40%. Ouch. That’s like watching your favorite show get canceled without warning. What’s more? The CEO revealed in a July 2023 AMA that Tumblr was losing $30 million a year. Talk about a budgetary crisis!
Some nostalgic users muse that Tumblr’s downturn also coincided with its ownership transition to Yahoo and later Verizon, leading to an influx of ads that most users found utterly annoying. Seriously, who needs an ad after every two posts? No one, I tell you!
So while Tumblr still has about 32 million active users, it’s clear that the platform is a shadow of its former self. It’s like a classic car that’s fun to drive but rarely gets taken out for a spin anymore.
If you need further help decoding the mysteries of Tumblr’s decline or want more resources on when it lost its shine, don’t hesitate to live connect with us! We’re here to lend a hand (or a sarcastic comment)!
