Why Tumblr is becoming my favourite Social Media Platform

As most of you have probably noticed, the amount of social media platforms has exploded in recent years. It’s almost standard to have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+ and so on and so on. With such a huge amount of possibilities, it’s only natural that people start to pick their favourites. For years I was a huge Facebook supporter, because it allowed me to keep in touch with friends I  would otherwise have lost contact with. But I always made it a point to just add people I really knew well in real life, thus limiting my ‘audience’. I also went through a brief phase of liking Twitter, but while the interaction with people from all over the world was nice, I found the limited number of signs restrictive. Twitter is a great way to keep informed about things and share links, but I don’t think it’s the right platform for in-depth and multi-media interaction.

And this is where Tumblr comes in. For me, it combines the best of both worlds. Like Facebook, it allows you to share pictures, videos, links and text, without restricting you in how much you write. Yet it also brings in the interaction with people from all over the world from Twitter, based on hashtags highlighting your particular interest. Tumblr allows you to connect, interact and share with a group of people, who are interested in the same things, without limiting you in how you approach it all. You can choose complete anonymity or put the real you out there.

I have also found the diversity in interactions on Tumblr amazing. It ranges from simple re-blogging and liking of posts, to complete in-depth essays and gif-conversations. I’m pretty sure that no other social media platform has as many conversations using only gifs, as tumblr. And while it may seem odd and pointless, it suggests a high degree of creativity and deep understanding of how internet language works. In fact, Tumblr is a massive playground for internet language! I have never seen it used to appropriately anywhere else. And the best thing is, Im pretty sure a majority of active Tumblr users is aware of this fact. Let me show you one post that truly proves how much people are actually aware of where they are and what they are doing:

Furthermore, Tumblr is a GREAT place for cultural exchange. And while there are plenty of serious discussions out there, Tumblr also offers treasures like this one, where everyone can exchange impressions about cultural habits without it getting insulting or out of hand:

 

While I definitely don’t want to suggest that Tumblr-users are more intelligent or creative than people who prefer Facebook or Twitter, I do think that Tumblr users have the chance to display and connect their creativity more with others. Tumblr allows people, and especially Geeks like me, to expand on others’ ideas, creating what I’d like to call ‘a chain of awesome’. Especially when it comes to fandoms does Tumblr dig deep into the headcannon and creativity pool! Let’s look at another example to illustrate this. The conversation happens below a gif taken out of a Harry Potter movie, where a wizard stirrs his spoon without the use of a wand. The comments below do not just suggest a deep understanding of the fandom, but also display an interesting level of imagination, yet logic.

Actually, Tumblr is generally a heaven for geeks and fandoms. The image at the very top of this post is a Tumblr-Flag someone created, incorporating the most popular fandoms on the platform. And there are A LOT of them, ranging from movies, books and games to cartoons and anime! Yes, there is hate on Tumblr as there is everywhere in fandom, but I still find Tumblr much more civilized than a lot of other forum-sites. And furthermore, people on Tumblr can get very excited about completely non-mainstream pop-culture such as Sharkpuppy or Mr Truffles (a fandom based on a single photograph depicting a Canadian police-woman and a bear)!

 

The thing I love most about Tumblr is the way it makes me laugh! Yes, its mostly geek humor, but you know, this is a Geeky Media Blog.

Therefore I highly recommend Tumblr to all Geeks out there, because it’s just such a great place to browse, post content, share and interact with others. While I will remain loyal to Facebook and Twitter, Tumblr has really gotten a special place in my heart over time and I really feel like it’s one of the more underrated platforms out there.