Advertising of any forms can be annoying. But realize it or not, they are the ones that power most of the web.
In the world where things are connected through networks of networks called the internet, information can be made to flow freely without boundaries. But to make that happen, there needs to be money involved. And advertisements are the most common form of revenue source for most online platforms.
And that includes on Tumblr, the U.S.-based microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007.
After trading hands for several times, Tumblr made a decision to introduce a stricter content policy with heavier restrictions on adult content.
This annoyed users to an extent that Tumblr's traffic plummeted.
And when Tumblr was hit with an issue and is then banned from Apple's App Store, Tumblr had little to no choice but to increase its effort to ban adult contents to win Apple's heart.
This time, to win its users' heart, Tumblr introduces a way for them to eliminate its ads.
Read: To Comply With Apple's Rules, Tumblr For IOS Introduces ‘Sensitive Content’ Toggle
But to do that, users must pay $4.99.
By eliminating ads, Tumblr has to make up for those lost revenue in one or the other.
And through this subscription option, users who "love Tumblr but hate ads" can enjoy an ad-free experience while using the platform.
The ad-free experience is offered on both desktop and mobile.
"If you love ads, then this post is not for you," Tumblr staff wrote in the announcement.
"If you love Tumblr but hate ads and want the one to continue without having to endure the other, then this post is literally for you. Hello, you."
And to entire users into subscribing, Tumblr offers a discount, where users can get 33% off at $39.99 for a whole year.
"This is opt-in. You don’t have to do this. We won’t make you," the announcement added.
Users who wish to experience the ad-free Tumblr can go to their Account Settings on desktop and hit the 'Go Ad-Free.'
"And that’s it! You’ll be able to enjoy your favorite blogs and posts without any pesky ads getting in the way."
It's worth noting that founder David Karp was opposed to allowing advertising.
But when his company was sold in 2013 to Yahoo! for $1.1 billion, its new owner wanted ways to generate revenue.
And here, as previously mentioned, online ads on online platforms can be annoying and unwelcomed. But in this case, Tumblr ads have gained notoriety for being extremely annoying, random, and strange.
For most of the time, ads on Tumblr can be cheap-looking and nonsense.
While ads engagements on Tumblr is a question, Tumblr's decision to eliminate its ads should make Tumblr look the way it was before Yahoo! acquired it.
By paying a price, users can travel back in time to experience how Tumblr was before it lost a massive chunk of its audience, and before Verizon that bought Yahoo! sold Tumblr to WordPress owner Automattic Inc. for a fraction of its original price.
It's also worth noting that the "100% Tumblr with 0% ads" experience only hides third-party ads. It doesn’t hide sponsored posts from Tumblr users.