Tumblr began making waves on Wednesday when it released a controversial update, removing the stacked comment chains that have become a ubiquitous part of the blog site.
This tweet shows what it used to look like and what it looks like now:
—Tumblr (@tumblr) September 2, 2015
As the update went through, Tumblr users took to Twitter in droves, expressing their strong feelings about the change.
If you go to Twitter, type in "tumblr update," and hit search — the landscape is bleak. Every minute, hundreds of Tumblr users tweeted anguished cries of disappointment.
Tumblr is currently suffering the wrath of the teens and young 20-somethings, and it isn't pretty to watch unfold. All posted within seconds of each other, the reactions are overwhelmingly negative.
Some of the tweets were anxious Tumblr users who hadn't seen the update yet (but heard they should be nervous):
—Mirre (@Foervraengd) September 2, 2015
—yueni (@brotome) September 2, 2015
Many Tumblr jokes are created precisely because of the way comment replies create a "staircase" of text. This update makes it difficult to read several relevant comments in a row.
Now these stacks of comments would not appear layered on top of one another. Instead, everything is in a line that you can scroll down through. According the Tumblr's update announcement, they're "rearranging reblog comments so that they’re actually readable." But is that really want the users wanted?
The apparent answer is a resounding "nope."
It really isn't out of the ordinary for users to react dramatically to change. A similar phenomenon occurred last year when Snapchat released a new update.
This tweet sums up what may wind up happening for all panicked Tumblr users:
—Matthew (@fattmattrules) September 2, 2015
We'll have to wait and see whether it actually doesn't matter, and how long it takes the upset users to get used to the change.
Tech Insider reached out to Tumblr for comment on the reactions, and will update this post if we hear back.
