So there are many netizens who looove porn. Ok, who doesn’t know that? Well, apparently Tumblr didn’t know this and its ban on adult content is costing it dearly. Since the ban on pornography and other adult content from the popular blogging platform, Tumblr has lost more than 100 million monthly views — a 17% decline.
In December 2018, Tumblr was flying high, with approximately 521 million pageviews that month. 30 days later, that had dropped to just 437 million.
Experts had warned about the ramifications of Tumblr’s decision severally pointing out that Tumblr’s users would flee to greener pastures, that its ban was breaking up safe spaces for women and other marginalized communities, and that the language in its ban was inherently sexist.
For Tumblr, the decision was a knee-jerk reaction to its temporary takedown from Apple’s App Store after engineers discovered child pornography on the website.
Initially Tumblr remained mum, commenting last year that it was “working to resolve the issue with the iOS app.” That was until Download.com approached the Yahoo-owned website with sources who claimed the app’s removal was due to child pornography. Tumblr then confirmed the story, worked with Apple to remove the offensive content, and then returned to the App Store before the end of 2018.
For adult content enthusiasts, Tumblr was once a place to let their freak flag fly. Like-minded individuals, including those from the LGBTQ community, found a place they belonged, bonding over a shared love of kink in carefully-curated communities. And now it’s gone.
If it’s any consolation, Tumblr is feeling it too.
