What Tumblr’s Porn Ban Really Means
Earlier this week, the blogging platform Tumblr announced that it would be scrubbing itself of “adult content.” The move doesn’t just affect how people look at and exchange nude photos on a downtrodden platform—it portends a broad shift in how we experience intimacy and connection online, in how user-generated content is managed, and in how tech maintains its stranglehold on the digital commons.
The “adult content” Tumblr will be banning, the company , “primarily includes photos, videos, or s that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples, and any content—including photos, videos, s and illustrations—that depicts sex acts.” But what the company is really going after is a four-letter word strangely missing. Tumblr may be home to personal blogs, community forums, and foodie photo collections, but pornography makes up a huge part of its reputation. A friend of mine texted me that Tumblr ending porn is like “McDonalds ending hamburgers.”
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