I’ve had Tumblr since the early days, before Instagram took off and took over. I don’t think I’ve logged in for over a decade, but I remember sharing aesthetic illustrations with ominous one-liners, following bands I enjoyed, and getting excited when The Kills randomly followed me back.
I hadn’t thought about Tumblr in years—until recently. Buried in the 300+ unread marketing emails cluttering my inbox, one kept catching my eye: Franky @ Tumblr. Maybe it’s because I’ve been obsessively refreshing my inbox for job application updates, but Franky managed to stand out.
Whatever Tumblr is doing, it’s working. I tried logging back in, but it had been too long. My old account was gone. Ironically, I can still find my MySpace profile—even though they suffered massive data loss during a server migration back in 2019.
So who the fuck is Franky? Probably just an alias for whoever’s tasked with re-engaging old users. Good job, Franky. After three emails in three weeks, I got curious enough to open one and sign up again, even though I had no idea what I’d do with it.
If you ask Google whether Tumblr is making a comeback, it answers:
Yes, Tumblr appears to be experiencing a resurgence, particularly with Gen Z users.
And why is Tumblr resonating with Gen Z? For starters, this cohort is simply growing older and looking for spaces away from platforms that encourage endless doom-scrolling. Apps like Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Facebook thrive on constant distraction, designed to keep users glued to their feeds and consume every spare second of their time.
Platforms that prioritise users’ interests and provide content that complements, rather than overwhelms, our dopamine receptors are growing in popularity. When you explore Tumblr now, you’ll find almost anything in a focused community setting: illustrations, fan art, writing prompts, and more. It’s similar to how Substack and other platforms are designed as spaces where people can share, discover, and connect over what matters to them. Even Meta is experimenting with this through Threads—a place that feels a lot like what Twitter used to be, and everything Instagram isn’t: text-focused, more intimate, and (allegedly) less algorithmically manicured.
Instagram is so popular now that asking for someone’s handle is basically the same as asking for their phone number. But people are growing tired of algorithms constantly telling them what they like, turning them into targets for products they don’t need and content engineered to make them follow, subscribe, and buy. More people are stepping back from mainstream social media in favor of platforms that feel more curated and intentional. Because sometimes, it’s refreshing to decide for yourself what’s worth your attention.
Thanks for reading! Please subscribe if you’d like to read my next idea on this topic: Does the idea of having a Facebook account still freak a lot of people out?
Nadia Cheung 