Was going to write this as a reply to something but realized it needed its own post.
The tl;dr is that, from the looks of it, Automattic absolutely has every intention of turning Tumblr into a marketing media platform.
I work for a marketing company. I build websites.
Specifically, I build websites on Wordpress.org, which is operated by the Wordpress Foundation.
The Wordpress Foundation is the non-profit counterpart to the for-profit company Automattic.
Automattic, as we know, is the company that currently owns Tumblr.
Now, the thing about Wordpress.org (not to be confused with Wordpress.com) is that it's very, VERY popular amongst small businesses. Not only can you build a fully-customizable website with relative ease, you can also add an online shop using another Automattic product: Woocommerce.
Not too long ago, I noticed a new feature was added to Woocommerce: A button next to each Woocommerce product which allows you to Blaze them to Tumblr right from the comfort of your dashboard:
This is what I get when I click that little "Blaze" button...
As someone who understands these tools, I understand the potential implications of these features:
The Blaze feature is basically an up-and-coming ad campaign system that's directly integrated with Woocommerce websites, which I htink is the first ad marketing system of its kind. You don't have to log into a social media account to advertise your products, use a second-party integration, or even pay another service to manage your social media ads. It's all baked right into your business's website.
THIS is their planned money-maker, folks, not the rainbow checkmarks or crab armies. And the reason why Automattic would do this kind of thing is simple: Businesses are wealthier than individuals. By implementing a B2B service, Automattic can make more money off of Tumblr than user subscriptions and shoelaces will ever provide.
It's all the same song and dance. Businesses can now shove more ads into your face in a new, convenient fashion. It'll be ads that don't look like ads disguised amongst ads that do look like ads, just like it is with Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and literally every other marketing media service that calls itself a "social" media.
(Tumblr's new video feature? My guess is that it's there to prepare for video-format Blaze campaigns. Influencer-style videos are the only kind of ad format Gen-Z is receptive to, which is why you're suddenly seeing videos on every platform.)
All they really gotta do now is make Tumblr look appealing to the normies, so they can draw in a userbase that isn't trying to escape the onslaught of commercialism that plagues other sites.
Tumblr is one of the last true social medias we have; a place where content is made purely for the sake of talking about it. But given the writing on the wall...I doubt it'll stay that way.
If Young Royals S3 doesn't start exactly where it ended, I need to know how the rest of that scene played out. Like, did Wille continue his speech like he didn't just drop the biggest truth bomb in the history of the Swedish monarchy? Or is he gonna hit them with the 'That will be all. No further questions.' and just walk off like a fuckin baller? Bonus points for the latter if he also tilts his head at Simon to be like 'Let's go', and they just do.