In seventh grade one would never see me, or anyone for that matter, speak about Tumblr in public. Keeping the secret and “5T4S” alive, I refused to tell others about my blog. Now holding over 300 million active members four years later in 2013, Tumblr continues to grow and change. With all the new users, I can finally admit that I am a Tumblr user.

For those who do not know, Tumblr, founded in 2007, is a blogging platform. Once one creates an account, he or she is given a URL similar to a Twitter username. Users have the option to make their blogs private or allow anyone to follow them. One may follow others and their posts will appear on a “dashboard” much like Twitter’s Timeline or Facebook’s News Feed. Users may post their own videos, text posts, pictures and audio or can “reblog” from others. To “reblog” a post means to basically re-post it onto one’s blog. Users may also “like” or reply to others’ posts as well.

I created my Tumblr in the summer going into eighth grade and quickly realized why many were against its popularity gain. I loved the site immediately and noticed how one falls into the blogging trap and feels he or she can post whatever he or she feels whenever he or she feels like without consequence. As Tumblr gained popularity, users feared the network becoming the “next Twitter” and friends, family and peers would later see all of their posts. The facade Tumblr gives is privacy. You post feeling that none of your friends or family will ever see. Triggering posts about self-harm, eating disorders and other mental illnesses fog users’ perception of constructive ways of blogging. One of the most prevalent blogging topics is the gap in between someone’s thighs, stylized by Tumblr as the “thigh gap.” This trend rapidly made its way onto blogs, specifically girls’, making girls assume this was the way to be beautiful. Pictures of girls’ thighs with the phrase “Pizza or thigh gap?” appeared all over my dashboard for months. As I commented “um…obviously pizza…” onto the post, I realized the affect Tumblr’s posts could have on its members. Junior Aaron Kelley created his Tumblr about a year ago and feels that users can find others ways to deal with their issues.

“I [would] say that [Tumblr] is not really the best way to deal with your problems. There are so many more constructive ways to deal with things,” Kelley said.

One may feel overwhelmed by these kinds of posts because of their possible effect; however, Tumblr offers much more than that. Inspiration, a place to show one’s true self and an outlet for creativity only amount to some of Tumblr’s greatness. The deception of no consequence posts convinced me to join, but the inspiration I have found has kept me on the site. I originally loved the idea of posting about my problems with my parents or how annoyed I was with my best friend and just getting it off of my mind, but once I learned the effect this can have on others as well as the negativity it created in my life, I realized the website’s true abilities. I have met friends through the website and discovered tons of music and new ideas. The site lets us show who we are in the purest forms possible. The ability to post my own pictures and my own thoughts as well as share others from different users explains my followers to me as a whole. The site also allows me to reflect on myself from years ago. Posts and “selfies” I created in the transition from middle school to high school still exist (unfortunately).

Tumblr allows its users to show individuality as well as take inspiration and ideas from others. While the network is not perfect, it continues to improve and provide its users with a unique experience. I prefer Tumblr over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In the words of my seventh grade self, Tumblr is really “rad,” but you must be careful with what you post.