Ok, so I haven’t been on Tumblr long, but here’s why I think this ban tomorrow shouldn’t go ahead:
There are many positive things I’ve noticed about Tumblr compared to other social media sites. Here are just a few:
- Out of all the social media platforms I know of, Tumblr seems to be the most accessible to and used by marginalised communities in society today, whether they’re lgbtq+, belong to an ethnic minority, chronic illness spoonies, disabled, sex workers etc. (apologies if I missed any out).
- It is also mostly a very positive environment, with all the bloggers I’ve come across being very respectful of other people’s views or beliefs.
- It is a platform on which people can be completely anonymous if they want to be, which I’ve not come across before. This is particularly important, as it gives people an ability to express their true selves which they may not be able to do in real life due to safety or other personal reasons.
- Tying in to that last point, Tumblr allows the user to connect with other people with similar interests and life experiences, and allows them to see that they’re not alone in whatever they might be experiencing, whether that’s a love of a celebrity or book, or a more personal experience such as a disability or being closeted from friends and family.
- Personally, Tumblr has given me more hope; brilliant friends from around the world; an ever growing love of books, films, tv shows and celebrities; amazing pictures and facts about the world and its species; insight into other communities’ lives that I would never have known about before; and an ability to express myself in a way I’ve never been able to before. (To name just a few)
In my couple of months on Tumblr, I have never, ever felt uncomfortable, and have never seen anything resembling porn, extremism, or violence, or anything else ‘inappropriate’ for that matter. It is extremely easy to filter out content you don’t want to see, and it seems like most of the bloggers are very respectful to others, and it is easy to block and report them if they’re not.
It is ridiculous that certain content such as pictures of breasts/ other genitalia, and chronic illness blogs are being banned, and extremist blogs are not:
A. Everyone 13 upwards should know what they look like anyway, and can easily filter them out if they don’t want to stumble across them.
B. Chronic illnesses (and all other disabilities) have enough ableist stigma attached to them as it is, please don’t create more by banning their blogs or content and therefore implying that they’re ‘inappropriate’ subjects of conversation. They’re not, they need much more conversation around them to support those with them and show the rest of the world that we’re valid.
C. Extremism and extremist views (although, again I haven’t seen them on here because it’s simple to avoid) are one of the biggest causes of division, hate, and violence in the world today. By not including these blogs in your ‘purge’ you are implying this hate and all the violence it has caused in the past (including both world wars) is acceptable. You are also giving these people a platform to spread their message of hate and division, and thereby could be facilitating further hate crime. Yes, Tumblr is a brilliant place to express oneself and one’s opinions, but it is not acceptable that it is allowing people to promote lies, hate, and violence, which could all harm many people.
I’m sure people have a lot to add so please reblog and add your own message for the Tumblr staff. I know this isn’t everything, but due to the amount of energy I have used up writing this, I’m now feeling completely wiped out and am going to let others continue and add their points 😊
Hopefully this’ll give @staff something more to chew on and think about before the ban is put in place.
