It seems like history might repeat itself in 2022. The internet predicts that Twitter might suffer the same fate as Tumblr back in 2018 after Elon Musk announced the verification subscription model on the site. Meanwhile, Tumblr’s lift of its anti-porn rules has users celebrating, believing Tumblr will take over Twitter.
The general consensus online is predicting a power vacuum is imminent once Musk begins charging people for verification. They’ve also noticed that both social media sites announced their future updates around the same day. They believe that Twitter is going to suffer, just like Tumblr did in 2018. Meanwhile, Tumblr will receive a huge renascence as people, including former Tumblr users return to the platform.
In 2018, Tumblr banned all NSFW content after the Apple App store detected child pornography content on the site and removed the app from the app store. Nearly 30 percent of Tumblr’s user base left the site since the ban, yet the platform still managed to stick around. Tumblr lifted the restrictions recently after it introduced ‘community labels’. However, sexually explicit acts are still not allowed on the platform.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Musk plans to change the rules to obtain verification on the platform. What used to be an indication to prove that you’re a real person or reliable source, is now something easily obtainable via a subscription model. The news received mixed feelings on Twitter. On one hand, some believed a subscription model would help combat bots. However, others believed that paying for verification would ruin the platform as impersonators could pay $8 a month to pretend to be someone they’re not.
This could be the main factor in tipping the scales in Tumblr’s favor. Likewise, fan culture is bigger than ever and still remains prevalent on the site with the Superwholock fandom having its own mini-revival due to latest news across the three shows. (With David Tennant returning as the 14th Doctor in Doctor Who, Supernatural receiving a prequel series, and the release of Enola Holmes 2.) If the internet’s predictions are true and Twitter accidentally kills itself thanks to these verification changes, Tumblr better make use of this opportunity as it has a second chance to correct its past mistakes.
