The fact that Tumblr needs new users constantly and that it can't be fine with the regular user base is only a problem inherit to what we call social media because social media exist inside the capitalist system, in which enterprises always needs to keep expanding so they won't get eaten by bigger ones.
I was thinking about it in relation to the censorship on this site regarding Palestine (is it a coincidence?), and, in my little mind, maybe the only way for keeping Tumblr alive and working as our home would be for us (regular users) to buy it and to run it like the AO3 is by OTW.
We all know how interconnected AO3 and Tumblr are, and imagine if in AO3 we lived by being censored (this is quite the opposite case of AO3) and in constant risk of all our production being wiped out. Being AO3's other hand for fans around the world and, honestly, the only place where you don't have to fight for obvious shit like people having the right to be what they fucking are and the only place where you get to obsess over something for days and months on end without a single complaint, Tumblr should be ran by us, not by some random conglomerate that just wants to eat and not be eaten.
[A] great embarrassing fact ... haunts all attempts to represent the market as the highest form of human freedom: that historically, impersonal, commercial markets originate in theft.
Economist Milton Friedman explains how a simple pencil is actually the result of a complex and spontaneous process that involves the cooperation of thousands of people across different countries and cultures. 👇
There is no single person or entity in charge of coordinating this process. This spontaneous order is beautifully illustrated in the article "I, Pencil" by Leonard Read. The article tells the story of a pencil's production process from the perspective of the pencil itself, highlighting the countless individuals and interactions that go into its creation.
The free market not only allows for the efficient production of goods like pencils, but it also fosters harmony and peace among different peoples and nations. When individuals are free to trade and cooperate voluntarily, they are more likely to view each other as potential partners rather than enemies.
So the next time you pick up a pencil, take a moment to appreciate HOW IT was brought into existence .