As a late starter to Tumblr, at the ripe old age of 22, it took me a while to actually get the point of this blogging site. For the first year I just thought it was a place for depressed teenagers to whine about their angst and twenty-something hipsters to showcase their dodgy graphic designs and not-so-funny memes of cats with watermelons on their heads. However, by 2012, I finally got it.
My eureka moment came when I found a video, by an 18 year old girl who'd been diagnosed with aspergers syndrome, holding back the tears, she spoke about how grateful she was for all the positive comments she'd received from Tumblr users around the world, how simple little messages of "you're not alone" from complete strangers, had placated much of the fears she had of being labelled a freak.
Later I found a blog dedicated to gay love, set up by a High School student from the U.S, who is gay but whose parents aren't too pleased about it. He said how therapeutic it was to have a place where he could just be himself, free from all the bullshit he gets at home.
It's not just the big emotional stuff that sets Tumblr apart; it's the simple little life lessons you learn from the various photos, GIF's and notes that appear on your timeline every day. Such as the fact a bottle of Arizona Green Tea makes the perfect prop for a cool photo and fairy lights aren't just for the festive season.
The basic premise of Tumblr is a scrapbook and personal diary rolled into one. We all need our outlets, places to express ourselves, our likes, our dislikes, our opinions about the world around us etc, and Tumblr is the perfect place to do it.
A digital therapy session for teenagers, adolescents and twenty-something's, Tumblr's power lies in its egalitarianism, if you're a gay teen and you feel you're voice isn't being reflected in mainstream culture, just create your own culture on Tumblr, the same simple principle applies to anyone else. It's this element which gives Tumblr its life changing ability.
So, all that being said, here are just 5 things that will change once you join Tumblr.
Your weird anti-gay prejudice will be turned on its head, as you realise gay people love each other in exactly the same way heterosexual people do.
Your Eurocentric views on cinema will change, as you discover there's this thing called Bollywood.
Inspirational quotes are abound on Tumblr, there won't be a day that goes by where the irritations of life aren't quelled thanks to a clever collection of words, set to an awe inspiring background.
You'll discover that Feminism isn't just for intellectual bores like Camille Paglia and Germaine Greer, it's a universal thing.
Finally, if you weren't a fan of One Direction before, then you will be after.