Gen Z’s Internet Sanctuary Isn’t TikTok—It’s Tumblr

Is it really that surprising that Gen Z is reviving another millennial relic? After making low-rise jeans and early-2000s nostalgia cool again, they’ve now resurrected Tumblr—the chaotic, aesthetic-obsessed blogging platform that once ruled the internet with mood boards, angst, and unapologetic weirdness.

But this time, it’s not just about nostalgia. For Gen Z, Tumblr is an escape hatch from an algorithm-choked internet ruled by influencers, ad targeting, and Elon Musk’s existential unraveling on X. According to new data, Gen Z now makes up half of Tumblr’s monthly active users and 60% of new sign-ups. The attraction? Less “look at my life” and more “look at the inside of my brain.”

Why is Tumblr Making a Comeback?

Tumblr, launched in 2007, hit peak relevance around 2014, with more than 100 million users and a stranglehold on teen culture. But while platforms like Instagram leaned hard into monetization and influencer economies, Tumblr struggled to adapt. Yahoo’s $1.1 billion acquisition in 2013 didn’t help—it faded into millennial memory as other platforms took over.

Until now.

Tumblr’s recent revival kicked into high gear during the near-ban of TikTok earlier this year, and again when Brazil temporarily shut down access to X. Gen Z users responded by creating entire micro-communities on Tumblr to archive and share their favorite TikToks—like digital survivalists preserving the last bits of internet culture they love.

And it’s not just a throwback. Tumblr has evolved, quietly adding Reddit-style Communities in December and debuting a short-form video feed called Tumblr TV in January. But unlike TikTok or Instagram, the platform still feels raw and unfiltered. There are no glossy overlays, no engagement-driven algorithms deciding what matters. Just people posting whatever they want, however they want.

That rawness is a big part of the appeal. Gen Z isn’t looking for a platform to build a brand—they’re looking for somewhere to be weird, sad, brilliant, or all three without being surveilled by advertisers or smothered by curated perfection.

Sure, Tumblr’s a fraction of the size of the current social giants. But, that’s kind of the point. It’s not trying to be the internet’s town square. It’s more like its haunted basement—and Gen Z feels right at home there.