Tumblr is affectionately referred to as a “hellsite” by both its users and even the staff itself. It is a unique social media platform that feels both mainstream and not mainstream simultaneously.

The following is a summary of Tumblr’s attributes for those seeing if it is a good fit:

• Rich post format. Tumblr not only allows long-form richly formatted text and multiple images in a given post, but allows formatting of music and audio posts, video, links, quotes, and chatlogs. Each post is also not limited to a specific type; you can mix any of the above as you choose in a single post.
• Highly diverse community with all sorts of corners and niches as is the nature of being a large social media platform, but skews towards adults who are young, queer, inclined towards art, North American, and are politically liberal or left.
• Diverse means of interaction that allows for nuanced socialisation—there are three ways to comment on a given post, for example.
• Wealth of customisation, especially for your blog (which is your user page), from allowing you to pick and choose what tags you want to feature, all the way up to designing your page with themes and formatting options that can rival services like Wordpress or Squarespace.
• Lack of algorithmic curation. While this has begun to change in recent years, Tumblr still remains largely free of algorithmic curation of content. Recommended posts and blogs can be switched off easily. What recommendation systems remain are (generally) non-intrusive or optional.
• Strong anti-influencer culture that is distrustful of monolithic figures and celebrities, at least of the likes you might find on other platforms like Twitter or Instagram. While posts can still go viral, Tumblr users are very distrustful of those who appear to seek attention for its own sake.
• Strong anti-corporate culture that is similar to the above. When compared to other mainstream social media platforms, Tumblr has historically avoided mass corporatisation and advertiser-pandering. Tumblr users are distrustful of not just corporate entities, but also other users whom they feel are peddling in suspiciously aggressive ways. Adblockers and other extensions are highly encouraged by its userbase.

In essence, the above creates a very unique online experience that is at once large and accommodating of all walks of life, yet still has a sense of a unified cultural spirit that can be quite guarded towards outsiders at times.

<aside> ⏩ You can jump to the Tumblr Quick Start Checklist if you want to dive in to making your account, the Tumblr Etiquette guide to learn about how to not make an arse of yourself, or continue reading for a more in-depth explanation to the culture and history of the site.

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Culture and etiquette

While Tumblr is technically a mainstream social media platform, it has a culture that makes it something of an oddity on the modern internet. The best way I can describe it in a word is “indie”: there is a great emphasis and interest in the mundane activities, thoughts, and creations of the independent artist, hobby musician, or even just your average internet denizen. These kinds of artists take advantage of Tumblr’s rich post formatting and extensive blog customisation to present and share their art, music, video, or writing in ways often only seen on gallery websites like ArtStation.

As a result, there is a vaguely cooperative atmosphere present on Tumblr, focused on sharing interesting bits and bobs, whether that be shower thoughts, interesting art, or fan tributes to favourite video games or TV shows, as well as a love for internet “cottage industries” of independent craftspeople and artists. Simultaneously, the culture harbours a hostile attitude towards “influencers” and the culture surrounding them typical to other social media platforms, also extending to celebrities and corporations. Etiquette on Tumblr, hence, is seen as a crucial responsibility to ensure the unique niche of Tumblr continues to survive.

A great amount of emphasis is hence placed on reblogging. With an aversion to algorithmic curation, reblogging posts and following people is the dominant method of distributing posts to others. The result of the culture here, hence, produces an environment that is highly protective of its cottage industry culture, independent artists, and general queer-chaotic nature. If you are looking to stay on Tumblr, internalise the importance of reblogging and sharing others’ posts.

Anti-corporate, anti-influencer

Tumblr is still a business and that multiple attempts have been undertaken to heavily monetise the platform or make it attractive to advertisers. These attempts have influenced the culture on the site and can be useful as a point of reference to understand the views of those who have been on the site the longest.

Denny’s