1,000 words, 4-minute read
For the past year or so, I've had a blog on newTumbl, dedicated to the more scandalous part of my psyche, where I've posted erotic photos (read: dirty pictures) with captioned thoughts on life, love, and pursuit of happiness. Why newTumbl? This Google blog (Blogger) is text-oriented — I write stuff — while the platform newTumbl, like Tumblr, Instagram, and Pinterest was image-oriented. I can post pictures here in Blogger, too, but newTumbl was dedicated to pictures, and, as I said, for more scandalous things.
On June 7, 2023, without prior warning, I, like everyone else, went to the website newTumbl only to be greeted by this page.
Like many (tens of thousands? hundreds of thousands?), my newTumbl account was summarily relegated to the dustbin of history. My floral prose disguises first the stunned shock then the torrent of profanities accompanying the realization all my carefully curated postings had vanished without a trace, leaving me with nothing to show for my erotic hobby. Do I start over? I'm hesitating, worried about seeing another investment of time and energy snatched away from me. I suppose one could argue that like performance art, the pleasure is in the doing. Nevertheless, I'd still like to have something to show for my efforts.
Now what?
I looked at various alternatives and discovered "reblogme.com". I signed up for a free account and have been perusing the site, contemplating future endeavors.
To blog or not to blog, that is the question.
Tumblr bans all adult content in 2018. newTumbl shuts down on June 7, 2023. Do I see a trend? Do I commit to something only to have the rug pulled out from under me?
In another life, I have had a blog on Google Blogger since 2010. However, I'm not posting adult content (read; dirty pictures), but writing about everything else in life like politics, science, my views on the world, etc. Like many, I have some need to express myself. However, my blog on newTumbl would indicate I also have a need to express the more scandalous part of my psyche. There's a sense of being sexual, maybe being badass, when clicking on Post and showing to the world not just an erotic photo, but an idea, a desire, a representation of myself. Hello, world! I'm a sexual creature, and this is who I am and what I'd like out of life! It feels good being naughty! Considering the millions of similar endeavors out there, I'm not the only one, and I have to conclude this seems to be a common part of the human psyche.
The problem here seems to be about adult content. Facebook tries to remain family-oriented; offenders will be prosecuted. Pay services like VISA have declined business involving sex work, jeopardizing sites like OnlyFans. Good? Bad? Do we have to accept that this is the way of the world?
"Eroticism is what turns me on. Pornography is what turns you on." -Al Goldstein
"Pornography is somebody else's erotica that you don't like." -Erica Jong
I return to my original question: What is the risk of once again losing my work? Any of these web sites must make a profit to stay afloat however, I have no idea what kind of advertising model they use to generate income. The website BDSMlr.com has implemented an absolutely annoying quantity of popup advertisements that one can make go away for a monthly fee of $20. I don't remember seeing ads on newTumbl at all and so far, I haven't seen anything on reblogme, unless I'm missing something. What are the risks of a website having to shutter its business? According to Wikipedia, Yahoo bought Tumblr in 2013 for $1.1 billion. In December 2018, they banned porn. By March 2019, the site had lost 30% of its user traffic. The site was sold in August 2019 for supposedly less than $3 million. I mention porn as it always seems to be in danger of being banned, but it would seem that Tumblr's problems over the years stem from an inability to properly monetize the website through advertising.
Social media is a time suck, defined as an inefficient or unproductive activity. Could I better spend my time? But it's not just this, erotic materials, I see this everywhere. Facebook and Twitter both have their share political commentary, and I've witnessed and been guilty myself of howling at the moon, posting all sorts of screeds with links to various newspaper articles, railing against the state of the world. Is this a good use of my time? Does any of this do any good? Am I or anybody else making the world a better place by howling at the moon? Maybe I should be writing my congressman, lobbying local politicians, or organizing community groups as a more effective means of producing change.
Sorry, I went off on a rant and drifted off topic.
I amusingly compared this to performance art. The objective is not some tangible result like a painting or a sculpture, the art is in the doing. Creating a post, gathering erotic photos, writing a caption, and possibly researching associated materials, is the pleasure of doing. The results may provide pleasure to others (I love Likes and comments!), and that's a good thing and appreciated, but for myself, it's that doing which tickles my fancy.
Final Word
For the moment, I continue to look around, research on Google, and consider all of my options, including not returning to erotic blogging. I do have other projects in life, and if I spent less time on adult content (read: dirty pictures), I'd have more time to devote to those projects. Ha!
But let me end with this thought. A bit of passion, an erotic photo, a naughty thought, flirting whether on social media or in real life, can give me a tingle. It puts a smile on my face, and a spring in my step. The day is a little sunnier; the sky is a little bluer. It is a reminder that I'm alive. :-)
2023-06-21
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