I, like many girls my age, was merely a 'tween when social media blew up and began to evolve into the global force it is today. Back in the day, MySpace was on the downhill, but new websites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr were all the rage. I specifically remember begging my mom to let me make a Facebook account when I was thirteen, and regrettably, she let me.
Thanks to the app TimeHop, I can now view all of the tragic selfies I posted in my Aeropostale tees and the thousands of pages I liked, which still haunt me to this day. When Tumblr came on the scene, I remember being equally excited to embarrass myself and show my friends how hip I was. I joined Tumblr around the end of eighth grade, not really sure what I was doing. At this point, all I reblogged were pictures of pastel shorts, girls with rainbow-dyed hair and GIFs of cats. I used Tumblr on and off throughout high school just as a source of entertainment, as we usually do now when we mindlessly scroll through our Instagram feeds. It was fun, lighthearted and a way to pass the time.
However, the more and more time I spent on Tumblr, the more I realized how toxic it was becoming. I would see posts from users who had different opinions than me, and that was OK. But it seemed the minute someone didn’t have a popular opinion, they were harassed and bullied online. Tumblr promoted itself as a website based on freedom, expression, and creative license, so why was there so much hostility? As the days and months passed, I could not scroll down my feed without viewing, at least, four to five posts with some sort of negative, bitter message. “Social justice warriors” believed it was their duty to curse or shame anyone who was not in line with their beliefs. Even the simplest or most innocent picture, quote or message would be littered with nasty comments and politically correct statements.
The sad thing is, this is exactly how it is today. The users of this (now irrelevant) website are so caught up in their little worlds of “P.C.” analytics that they completely destroy the original purpose of the site. What is even more disturbing is that young people view this website as an accurate representation of America’s youth. There are kids who actively use the posts on Tumblr as political arguments, and that is beyond pathetic and unacceptable.
I left Tumblr years ago because I felt as if it impacted my attitude in a negative way. I joined Tumblr to reblog things I found interesting to me, to create an online scrapbook of sorts. The minute it became a politically-charged, angsty and whiny platform is when Tumblr officially became obsolete. If this changes (which I do not foresee) and Tumblr goes back to being a dashboard full of cute puppies and Jane Austen quotes, then I’ll be back. Until then, you can find me on Facebook still being tagged in horrendous pre-teen selfies.
