As technology advances, so does the number of users on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and my personal favorite, Tumblr. Tumblr is a website that gives you a URL which you can use as an outlet of emotion, a comic relief, or to advertise yourself in various ways. Essentially, it’s a blog that allows you to do more than write. You’re also able to post pictures, videos, audio, gifs (clips from a video that loop over and over), and even conversations.
When I was fourteen, this all sounded pretty dumb to me. A friend told me that she enjoyed blogging on Tumblr so much and was on the site at least once a day. One day, she showed me her own Tumblr, and I was surprised at how cool it looked: images of winter and autumn, beautiful people in beautiful clothes, adorable animals, and iconic music legends. It seemed like fun, so I signed up. I’d sit down at the computer to do a homework assignment at four in the afternoon, and the next thing I knew, it was nine at night, I was still blogging like there was no tomorrow, and my homework had yet to be touched.
It probably sounds like there isn’t much to do on Tumblr, but once you begin to follow enough people (as in other bloggers), you can scroll on your dashboard (the photos posted by other bloggers in chronological order) for quite awhile. As a blogger, you can also gain followers and add posts to their dashboard as well. When I first began my Tumblr days, I posted Harry Potter junk exclusively, either photos or videos from the movies. Gradually, I began to mature (though I still love it) and reblog more sentimental and meaningful photos, like artwork, poetry, music, and idyllic photos of the outdoors. Most Tumblr users call this sort of blog a “hipster blog,” which is generally an insult. Unfortunately, when you become as addicted to your blog as I am, you learn to just roll with the punches.