Tumblr traffic takes a tumble since porn ban brought in
Tumblr’s traffic has been tumbling in a downward trajectory ever since the microblogging site decided to ban all pornographic material from the platform. The site has seen a 30-percent drop in visits since becoming SFW.
While Tumblr was never meant to be an adult content site, it somehow evolved into a place where adult content, including porn and a range of sex positive communities, thrived.
The site pulled its app from app stores in November after it found child pornography had slipped through its filters and was on the site. The app was down for a month before the company announced it was banning all adult content in December, unknowingly triggering a massive dive in traffic.
Also on rt.com Joe Biden, raw chicken & vomiting unicorns are now porn according to Tumblr’s new algorithmAccording to data compiled by Similar Web, Tumblr page views were at 521 million on December 3. By January, the site was down by more than 84 million views, and by February, Tumblr traffic was down to 369.5 million, a 30-percent drop since the ban began.
Many Tumblr members used the site for adult topics, from nudity to body positivity blogs to indie porn and art.
Users began to complain about the adult content ban as soon as it kicked in, saying there was inconsistency with the posts that were banned and that some images were being wrongfully hidden.
I’m surprised they didn’t loose more. The ban had an effect far beyond ‘porn’ it really gutted a lot of the site and communities there.
— Peter bond (@PeterBondMusic) March 14, 2019
and it’s not really helping anyone to ban the content, including Tumblr themselves. They need to rethink and plan this better. Right now you can’t even upload a bikini picture without getting flagged or them shadow banning you.
— Okla. Strikes (@OStrikes) March 14, 2019
you can still find porn on there easily. but the filter is so bad that anyone who posts humans (even drawings) will get flagged. then you either have to re-edit and re-upload, or wait for an appeal which sometimes never comes. it's unusable for many, especially artists.
— Ieuano (@stopcishets) March 14, 2019
Social media users have largely reacted to the traffic flop by saying Tumblr “deserves” the fall, although some have commended the company for removing all adult content.
should i feel bad? cuz i don't pic.twitter.com/3CCf0zHhee
— ben spears (@lntheblackout) March 15, 2019
What did they expect lmao
— ali ⚓️ (@alxfenty) March 15, 2019
I'm very happy they got rid of all the porn and sex workers on Tumblr. Hate to have a platform for titties and dicks and making money when we can just let bizarre fandom nazis with intense love/hate relationships with Kylo Ren fill the void! pic.twitter.com/ZSoKU8npnJ
— sleepy maenad (@alliecsays) March 9, 2019
“We made a strategic decision for the business that better positions it for long-term growth among more types of users. This was the right decision,” a Tumblr spokesperson told CNET.
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