Tumblr is a fairly peaceful place with no serious mal-intent against it's users... or really anyone else for that matter. Since I joined in 2012, the website community has evolved from "teenage hang out" to "activist central." Of course, this isn't all that it is used for I use tumblr to spread awareness about systematic oppression and other important world topics, but other users share images and speculation on their fandoms. Tumblr is also known for it's very large following of users with mental illnesses, mostly anxiety and depression. Because those two illnesses, as well as many others, are varied beyond your wildest imagination, triggers can range anywhere from eyes (scopophobia) to images of gore. If a person with a severe mental illness is triggered, it could possibly lead to severe self-injury or even attempted suicide.

Unfortunately for my fellow bloggers and I, a forum website known as 4chan.org has staged an attack against tumblr's users. I have seen many of my friends post that they have been triggered because of this attack, and I'm growing increasingly worried for my friends. Tumblr works off of a "tag" system, similar to Instagram and Twitter. What is happening is that 4chan users are placing triggering images into popular tags. This is causing site-wide panic and frustration. All Tumblr has asked for is a safe place to share information and feelings about certain topics, and yet we have been attacked in a very serious and harmful way.

Tumblr users are quite resourceful, though. As a community, we have "counter raided" our own tags to prevent our friends from being triggered. However, this seems to be in vain as 4chan users are planning to photomanipulate images of tumblr users onto pornographic images and then release them onto the internet. It is vital that this attack does not proceed. This could potentially ruin the lives of many people.

To the government organizations I have listed, please research internet users that have visited 4chan and posted triggering images onto tumblr.com. Doing so will ensure the safety of the millions of tumblr users with this troubling event.