Ah, the infamous Tumblr purge. A moment in digital history that felt a lot like watching a beloved neighborhood bar suddenly declare it’s going to stop serving alcohol. On December 3, 2018, Tumblr decided to flip the proverbial table and announce a ban that would bombard users with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. The official proclamation stated that effective December 17, all images and videos depicting sex acts, as well as real-life images and videos showcasing human genitalia or those cheeky “female-presenting” nipples, would be strictly banned. Oh, the horror!
What ignited this unexpected wildfire of censorship? Tumblr, the artistic haven and quirky repository of fandom culture, felt the heat from Apple, who disapproved of certain content on the platform and threatened to kick the app off their precious App Store. So, what’s a website to do? They attempted to play the part of responsible adult, outlining new policies that essentially cranked the repression dial all the way up to eleven.
The backlash that followed was as theatrical as a bad breakup scene in a rom-com. Users flooded social media, decrying the decision and scrambling to save their favorite NSFW blogs like they were hoarding toilet paper during a pandemic. Artists and creators who relied on the platform to share their most intimate and risqué works—poof—vanished into thin air, leaving behind a barren wasteland of overly sanitized content.
Many users auctioned off their artwork, in a desperate attempt to keep their creativity alive while others decamped to more permissive platforms like Twitter and, gasp, OnlyFans. This exodus marked a significant shift in the digital landscape, showcasing how quickly an online community could transform into a ghost town, all because of a few blurry algorithms and corporate strings being pulled.
In summary, the Tumblr purge was less of a gentle nudge from a caring parent and more of a sledgehammer to the face of freedom of expression within a once-vibrant community. It sent shockwaves through the Internet, reminding us all how swiftly things can change and just how much we love those “female-presenting” nipples!
