Ah, Tumblr—the land of quirky gifs, deep discussions about existentialism, and, of course, an abundance of cat memes. But if you’re here looking for news about its grand shutdown, let’s clear the air: Tumblr is not shutting down entirely! Instead, it’s the notorious Tumblr Live feature that’s getting the ol’ heave-ho on January 24, 2024.
Now, if you’ve been living under a rock or perhaps just too engrossed in scrolling through endless posts of vintage pictures and fanfiction, you might have missed the news. Tumblr Live, which allows users to stream live video, didn’t exactly take the internet by storm; perhaps it was overshadowed by other platforms that excel at live streaming. You may think to yourself, “Who needs live streaming anyway when I can just scroll through my feed and watch people eat cereal?” Well, the folks at Tumblr decided to retire this feature because it wasn’t quite panning out as hoped.
Let’s be real here; shutting down a feature is kind of common in the tech world. Think of it like your favorite TV show that got canceled after one season—you’re left wondering what went wrong and who to blame. So, for those who enjoyed engaging with Live content (all five of you), it’s time to return to your beloved text posts and fan art.
As Tumblr continues to exist, alive and well, this closure gives you the chance to possibly fall back in love with classic features like reblogging those dank memes or getting lost in an ocean of fandom creativity. So, mark your calendars for January 24—not for the end of Tumblr but rather a new beginning where we can focus on what really matters: getting weird and wonderful in the pool of user-generated content that made Tumblr a beloved corner of the internet. Who’s with me?
