Tech

Tumblr Just Sold For Under $3 Million And This Is Why You Don’t Ban Porn

by Amanda Yeo  13 August 2019
Tumblr

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

In December 2018, Tumblr announced that it was instituting a ban on adult content. Cast out of their Garden of Hedon, the site’s thriving community of thirst traps and thots suddenly found itself a band of outlaws.

Established purveyors of boob and butt shots were scattered to the winds, cursing the haven that once sheltered them and foretelling a far-off but inevitable justice. Now, that day has finally come.

Today, Verizon Media announced the sale of microblogging site Tumblr to Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com. Though Verizon’s announcement did not disclose the terms of the agreement, Dan Primack from Axios subsequently reported that the site was sold for less than US$3 million.

This is a ridiculous drop in value, considering that Yahoo purchased Tumblr for US$1.1 billion in 2013. Yahoo was acquired by Verizon Media in 2017, and Tumblr along with it.

Many online are blaming the less than ideal sale price on Tumblr’s infamous porn ban. The Verge reported in March that Tumblr’s traffic had dropped by almost 30 percent since the imposition of the ban, as everyone from porn hounds to bloggers discussing sexuality left the site for nuder pastures.

Even users who were uninterested in dick pics found the ban onerous, as it often erroneously flagged content that was safe for work. Prior to the ban, Tumblr was known for having a thriving queer community, and provided a valuable resource for people wanting to learn more about sexuality, gender identity and their bodies. Unfortunately, this community felt stifled by the site’s new measures.

Now, those boned by the boner ban are gleefully interpreting Tumblr’s US$3 million sale as a cautionary tale against trammelling the tiddies.

https://iammibbs.tumblr.com/post/186964219855/congratulations-tumblr

https://adizzyninja.tumblr.com/post/186966261051/i-cant-fucking-get-over-this-oh-my-god

Though US$3 million is more money than most of us will ever see at once, it’s a paltry sum when we’re talking about the valuation of such a large and notorious website.

Some have pointed out that Tumblr’s US$3 million sale price could also buy you one (1) simple home in a populous area, which is as much an indictment on property prices as it is on Tumblr’s current valuation.

Though if you aren’t in the property market, there are many other equally valuable things that US$3 million will buy you.

US$3 million is also the amount recently won by a 16-year-old for playing Fortnite.