Tumblr plans to make changes to appeal to new users and improve growth. The post states that Tumblr is currently difficult for new users to use and curates content poorly. Tumblr aims to improve how users discover and sign up, encourage frequent engagement, and boost creators’ ability to attract audiences. Specific changes mentioned include updating the confusing reply and reblog system to make conversations clearer and removing duplicate reblogs. Interestingly, the post does not discuss Tumblr’s plans to integrate with the ActivityPub protocol. Tumblr has had a turbulent history but has stabilized under its current ownership, though some long-time users may not want a more optimized social feed.
There’s a soft spot in my heart for Tumblr. I hope they find their way and become a bigger player.
Discord: “The biggest problem: our current usernames can often be too complicated or obscure for people to remember and share easily.”
Tumblr: “The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use.”
Why does everyone think we are collectively too stupid to figure out how to use the internet? Like holy crap.
Yeah, I know these updates are geared toward a very specific audience, but I’m allowed to resent that, lol. Stop infantilizing users; we are not stupid.
I question:
People who are unwilling to put in a mild amount of effort to understanding something.
Are they going to improve or impair healthy online discussions?
Tumblr is trying to appeal to the user demographic that wouldn’t bother going through the knee-high obstacle that is to sign up and learn to use Lemmy.
If a platform is only usable by someone of average tech savviness, then its reach is limited to half the population. This would be extremely limiting for a mass market product. As such, platforms cater to the least savvy 20% or lower.