#algorithmic shit

[astyrra]

suggestion for improving tumblr

tl;dr: allow users to add “tags” to their blog as a whole, then make those searchable, so it’s easier to find people to follow who post/reblog about what you’re interested in

so, tumblr corporate wants to get new users/get occasional tumblr users to make an account and use it. as far as im concerned, that’s fine, as long as they don’t wreck the things existing tumblr users like about tumblr.

because all other social media is algorithmic garbage, it seems like a lot of new users join, don’t understand that they have to find people to follow themselves and/or don’t know where to start looking for people to follow, so they leave.

this is my proposed solution to that. basically, as well as having a url, icon, header image, etc, users can also add “tags” to their blog, describing what they post about. adding tags would be completely optional, and what they contain would be entirely written by blog owners with no algorithms involved.

either include in current search or make a new search for just this (and also just like. have a functional search lol). for new users have a thing pointing out that this exists and they should use it to find people to follow

this would also be useful for older users in that like. when i get into a new fandom i want to follow people who post about it frequently, but current search only shows me original posts about it - i also want to follow people who reblog a lot even if they don’t make original content

potential issues/solutions:

scammers and spammers: make it so u can’t add “tags” to ur blog until it reaches a certain age, or has a certain number of posts, or something, so they cant just create 100000 blogs at once and “tag” them all

people “tag” literally anything theyve ever been interested in even if they never really post about it: limit it to like, 5 “tags” total. possibly still some issues with people who forget to update theirs over time but id prefer that to algorithmic bullshit

people deliberately tagging themselves to trick others into following them for malicious reasons (eg someone who posts racist shit tags themselves as BLM or something bc they wanna hurt people): bannable offense. also tumblr fix moderation pls

[mias-back-from-the-dead]

tbh i think the funniest phenomena that's been happening in the last couple years is "youtuber, having gone too deep into the research hole, has been made an investigative journalist against their will"

[toxooz]

also been thinking abt pooki with his cunty scarf💅

if my next drawing post isnt the comic update take me out back and shoot me like a sick dog

[nyaa]

we need to normalize attaching this image to literally every single post on the internet in 2025

[therealcallmekd]

Now THAT'S Thinkin' In 3D!

HHEHEHEE HAH FLATLAND FANART BE UPON YE

[so-i-did-this-thing]

So, I have a big advice post to write, but until I have the spoons, I want to warn everyone now who has legally changed their first name:

Your credit score may be fucked up and you need to:

check *now* that all your financial institutions (credit cards, loans, etc) have your current legal name and update where necessary

check that all 3 credit bureaus, on their respective sites, not via a feed like Credit Karma (so, Trans Union, Equifax, Experian) are collecting that info correctly and generating the right score - you might need to monitor them for a few months if you made any changes in #1

I am about to apply for a mortgage and learned that as of 2 weeks ago:

Experian suddenly thinks I am 2 different people - Legal Name and Dead Name (none of whom have a score)

Equifax has reported my active 25 year old mortgage as closed and deleted one of my older credit cards, hurting my score by 30+ points

Credit scores influence everything from big home/car loans to insurance rates to job and housing applications.

And for whatever reason, the 3 bureaus that have the power to destroy your life are shockingly fragile when it comes to legally changing one's first name.

So, yeah. Once I get this mess cleaned up for myself, I have a big guide in the works if you find yourself in the same predicament. But with the mass trans migration out of oppressive states, odds are there are a lot of newly renamed people who are about to have a nasty shock when applying for new housing.

Take care, folks.

[redwylde]

Aaron Hammerstrom drawing Silver with all of his angles, we are so back (for one issue).

[resurrectedteleport]

okayokay i just made a new tumblr account to see what they've changed (besides the "for you" being default.), and they are totally pushing it more than an old user would realize

im logged into this account in one tab and the new one in the other and tumblr is REALLY confused and im not sure where this will post but thats besides the point.

anyways when you sign up it gives you this

which is very comparable to sites/apps like pinterest and tiktok that have a personalized algorithm. when you scroll down its just random shit like Automobiles and Education. this is not pinterest. it censors stuff like sex but does NOT censor stuff like 'pee kink' . Notably!

anyways i picked some very normal interests (random shit i could think of, i left pee kink because Haha Funny) .

it then forces you to follow people! there is NOT a search, just a few trending users. it makes you pick 3 out of 10 users, one of them is the merch account, at least for me.

once you go into the actual website it looks like this! note 'for you' being default. there is NOT an option that i see to change this. this is what i was trying to look at before i ran into all the other shit haha.

time to go turn off tumblr live again ! ^^ ((tumblr fix your goddamn site

NOTE SINCE THIS HAS GOTTEN ATTENTION - I have made 2 tumblr accounts before this one (in 2019 and 2021 i believe ?) and I don't remember this in the sign up process - however, my memory is also dogshit, so please do not sue me

[charliejaneanders]

Platforms likely conflate positioning with popularity, failing to see the self-fulfilling prophecy of an algorithm making stuff popular because said stuff is built to please the algorithm creating more demand for content to please the algorithm. "Viral" content is no longer a result of lots of people deciding that they find something interesting.

Are We Watching The Internet Die?

[bleaksqueak]

It is so unbelievably frustrating how the algorithm timeline keeps defaulting in a place that has been free of algo bullshit for so long. I cannot tell if it’s a glitch or if they’re just pushing it intentionally. It’s at least easy to go back to the following feed, but with bluesky users more and more depending on the discover feed and tumblr defaulting to the algorithm timeline it just feels like ‘be twitter’ is the shitty destiny being pushed everywhere.

Important video anyone should give a watch:

[sad-endings-suck]

“ew no, 😫 i hate that ship!”

okay?? so go cry about it. tf you want from me?

[shinesurge]

everybody's fighting god in a parking lot until god's pr team invents a cute enough mascot i guess

[blairdii]

dare i say, apart from the usual suspects who rot in their own echo chamber, the f1 community is more excited for the williams pairing than ferrari's

[qilingxiong]

*sniffles* you are all so fucking stupid

[cosmikazie]

me: oh boy i cant wait to watch my favorite cartoon later in the day

youtube recommendations: IMPORTANT THINGS HAPPEN in your FAVORITE CARTOON! this character dies! crazy plot development! what do we know about RETURNING OBSCURE CHARACTER???? what does IMPORTANT NEW PLOT DEVICE unseen till NOW mean for story??? WHAT DOES SHOW ENDING MEAN?? HERE IS THE ENTIRE ENDING!!! LOOK AT THUMBNAIL!!! LOOK AT IT!!! LOOK AT THE DETAIL

[bananonbinary]

its not as flashy as some of the other youtubers who have done this but i'm really enjoying ann reardon joining the "oops my fun and lighthearted youtube channel has become investigative journalism exposing wild shit" club

like i subscribed cause i liked watching u make teeny tiny food but sure, yeah, we can talk about bullshit wellness products that you can buy on amazon that have illegal levels of radiation. please go on.