An open letter to Tumblr @staff @support regarding fandom censorship
In lumping film and television media into the same category as p*rn you are essentially saying that any form of nudity (even non-sexual), sensuality, intimacy, or love-making is intrinsically *bad* and subject to possible censorship.
You're saying that respected, and often award winning film makers; the actors and actresses involved; film crews and everyone else working on it; plus any TV station or film company who goes on to distribute this work is peddling p*rn and that we, as an audience, should be ashamed of watching it.
You're saying that these same respected artists' work is somehow dirty and should be hidden away.
You're saying that any form of naked skin or show of affection is subject to possible censorship. That anyone under the age of 18 should never have access to this sort of material. That consensual, loving affection and the human body is something to be hidden away. Yet the vast majority of tv shows and films that I make gifs and edits from are rated PG or 12A here in the UK. Some are rated 15. NONE of my content is rated 18.
You're basically saying that a 15, 16 and 17 year old should no longer have access to this material - material that actually offers a much more realistic view of relationships than any p*rn could.
**Newsflash** They CAN and they DO. Many of them actually post this content themselves!
It's not Tumblr's job to parent these young adults. Of course there should be safeguards in place, on any site. But it's not fair to penalise an entire site because you can't set up an effective safeguarding infrastructure for minors. Sort out your safe search and, or limit/tier the age of audiences.
Furthermore. You try to justify your decision by saying one of the reasons is to tackle the overwhelming amount of p*rn on the site. The problem with that, Tumblr staff, is that you allowed it! You made money from it. Your advertising revenues - and let's be transparent here because that is the only thing you care about - profited from the footfall that came along with the p*rn blogs. You've ignored the much more troublesome and vile factions on this site, allowing them instead to flourish simply because either: a) you genuinely don't care; or b) you haven't invested in the technology and manpower needed to eradicate the threat.
Now I personally have no problem with any consenting adults doing whatever they want on this site, providing they stay in their lane.
Your decision to now turn this site into a highly censored space is nothing more than a cynical knee jerk reaction to Apple calling you out on the problems you've long since swept under the carpet. Things that your community have been begging you to fix for years. And yes, it boils down to money again.
But what about the innocent users you are punishing for your own ineptitude?
To be clear. I'm not here for p*rn. I'm here because I found a sanctuary from my debilitating illness. I found a like-minded community of amazing, creative people who just so happen to also enjoy a particular actor's work and his positive attitude to life.
Many users on this site are house bound or isolated in one way or another. Many suffer from anxiety, depression and other illnesses. Many are marginalised in society and have no other way of communicating with people who 'get them'. Tumblr has, historically, been a place for these people to come together as a community.
It has also been a place where many fandoms flourished. Tumblr is a haven for fans to create art, writing, images, videos and gifs in celebration of the things they are passionate about. These passions often have a positive impact on these fans lives. Of course, there can be dramas. That's not isolated to this site. But ultimately Tumblr has been a safe space for many people to communicate with others around the world and make long-lasting friendships.
Your blanket censorship is going to seriously affect this. People are running scared. They're leaving in droves.
Finally, if you think for one second that this puritanical purge will eradicate the spam p*rn bots, you're deluded. How are you intending to achieve this when these bots don't even post nsfw material? They simply reblog legitimate, sfw posts and delete captions only to insert their own insidious links? Your community guidelines state that explicit language will not be censored.
In short, there is literally NO rational argument for this ridiculous change, other than that you are putting revenue before the established communities on this site, and we will NOT go quietly into the night.
I would love to know what @amc @bbcone @bbcnewsus @bbcamerica @marvelentertainment @channel4online-blog @channel4newsvideo @warnerbrosentertainment et al. make of this censorship. 🤔
To fandoms on Tumblr (regardless of what that is), please share this far and wide.
