A reminder in the age of the Fediverse: if you're not the customer, you're still the product.
OP was taking about Tumblr, but I think it applies even more to the Fediverse: users need to develop an ethos of paying to support the sites they use. Otherwise advertisers pay the bills and call the shots.
I didn’t mind my data being used to get free high quality products. Then they started selling it to governments. It’s one thing for an advertiser to know I’m a woman in tech. It’s another thing for a government to know when you’re ovulating so as to enforce abortion bans
Weird like, I'd rather seventy three companies and all world governments not know what I'm literally talking about in my bedroom with my wife, so I'm weird?
If Google finds a way to profit off my inability to spell the word 'definitely' without checking, or my desire to learn the fourth king of Brunei at 2am, more power to 'em.
Being "my data" doesn't automatically grant it "private", "valuable", or "meaningful" status. I'm fine if Google wants to start showing me ads for lightweight jackets. Fall is coming and I am probably gonna need one.