My name is Rob and I have a problem. I think I do, at least.
A year or so ago, I opened my own Tumblr account, though I lurked the site long before then. I enjoyed the sets of .gif images in certain posts and the site was, overall, an interesting creature of sorts. Whether it was hesitance or laziness - I am still not sure which factor was more prominent in hindsight - I simply didn't create my account until much later. It was only when my girlfriend encouraged me enough that I finally decided to become part of the Tumblr community. At first I thought Tumblr would be a fun to engage in on my free time, so I didn't exactly plan on spending ample time on the site in question.
Now, in early 2014, there's not a single website that I spend more time on.
"How exactly did Tumblr, in essence, take over my life?" This is a question that I just recently asked myself because it's a fair point to bring up. After all, Tumblr isn't exactly the most preferred social media platform that an online marketing firm would utilize. More often than not, an entity like Twitter will be incorporated. Twitter is more of a proven platform, whereas few companies are open to serving as the proverbial guinea pigs for entities that haven't proven their worth as much.
Keep in mind that it's feasible to utilize Tumblr for marketing purposes. Apple recently took to the platform to promote the iPhone 5C. Apple created a Tumblr blog called, "ISee5c," which is more of a visual portal than anything else. Instead of posts composed of text designed to advertise products, there is a litany of videos with impressive - albeit simple - visuals. While the iPhone 5C is still the promoted item, the way that Apple has utilized Tumblr has deviated from the norm. In the process, Apple created content that is worthy of being reblogged.
Strangely enough, as someone who works within the realm of marketing, I use Tumblr for this purpose very little, if at all. Instead, Tumblr serves as my escape, especially when given the fact that very few of my family members are on the site. One of the biggest criticisms that kids and teenagers will have in regards to Facebook is that their entire families are on the site, for better or worse.
Tumblr, for the most part, is different. One can make the argument that Tumblr isn't as user-friendly as Facebook, which is why moms and dads don't have their own accounts for the former. It can also be argued that this helps to make Tumblr something of a safe haven. Is it possible, though, that Tumblr will follow in Facebook's footsteps in this regard? There might be truth to the idiom, "only time will tell."
For me, Tumblr is a social networking site for sharing interests with likeminded individuals. For example, as a fan of professional wrestling, I don't know many people from work or my personal life that enjoy the spectacle as well. If I were to log into Tumblr, though, practically hundreds of pro wrestling-related blogs can be found and a seemingly endless amount of fans can be engaged with. This isn't the only fandom that exists on Tumblr, though; there are actually far greater ones. Last year, "Supernatural" was viewed as the most popular TV show on the site. It's not hard to see why, given the fact that a traffic jam occurred on Tumblr on April Fool's Day as a result of this fandom.
Sometimes I don't want to go on Facebook and see that my dad topped his high score on "Bejeweled." Sometimes I simply want to go on a reblogging spree that can become addictive in no time. It's easy to waste time on Tumblr but that's why I enjoy it as much as I do. Social media is useful for many purposes but I am also of the opinion that social media doesn't need a purpose, or at least one that holds unquestionable weight. With less commitment, it's easier to become engaged.
For this reason, as well as others, Tumblr has taken over my life.