In 2018, Tumblr famously enacted its porn ban to appease Apple's regulations after being kicked off its App Store, drawing major criticism for its sudden lack of support for the sex creators that helped bring Tumblr to fame. In 2013, Tumblr introduced a new policy banning blogs that actively promoted self-harm or eating disorders, leaving users afraid that essential mental health discussions and resources would be affected. The latest list of banned words didn't exactly come as a shock to Tumblr veterans, who have seen the company police central topics on the platform before.
"And not that that makes it any better, but it always goes right back to business." It isn't the first time that Tumblr's done this
"Tumblr has had so many problems for so many years," said longtime Tumblr user Klaudia Amenabar. For all of its flaws, Tumblr is still a destination for niche communities and interests, and for these creators the site’s potential outweighs its limitations. It’s yet another chip in the fraught but somehow tenacious relationship between Tumblr and its community. The latest ban is not something they want - but it still isn't enough to push both diehard Tumblr users and newbies off the platform for good. It's only the latest in a long line of unwanted changes to the site, and frankly, a lot of Tumblr users are used to adaptation.
While at first outraged at what felt like blatant content censorship, Tumblr creators have mostly accepted the latest update. But a few weeks removed from the announcement, the dust has settled into a much quieter scene.