My peak-Tumblr era was 2007–2010. When most people think back to their good old days on Tumblr, the time period they’re thinking of is mostly or entirely after that.
Whatever Tumblr is or was, to most people, happened long after I left.
The people I followed back then are mostly gone now, and the people I’ve followed since then (mostly on Twitter) aren’t here. I don’t know who my community is here, or even if I’ll find one.
I no longer know what works here and what doesn’t. I don’t get any of the jokes or references. I feel like the oldest person in the room.
This doesn’t really feel like going “back” to an old hangout — it feels like starting over.
And I don’t know if it’ll stick or not. It depends on where I find my people. If “we” congregate here, or I find a new community here, that’ll be great — and if not, I’ll probably go wherever they end up.
This sums up how I feel about Tumblr, too. For me it was another blog platform to try out back then and a place to run into cool or funny posts and fandom content but over the years Twitter just became a far more compelling and worthwhile place to be, and far more relevant for work needs.
Having returned to Tumblr in recent weeks doesn’t feel like a return to a familiar place, it’s rather a new start at an old neighborhood that’s now populated by new people doing different things.
AuliaSays 