As a member of the relatively hip 20-something social set in New York, I can say with confidence that Instagram is "where it's at" with this group. The introduction of stories and other Snapchat-like features has dramatically increased Instagram's usage among my friends (and definitely snagged plenty of app-hours from the former).
Like the article says, Instagram is absolutely an escape from the hostile interfaces and hostile posts that abound on core Facebook. It's still cool and it's still fun. Whatever the internal power dynamics, it seems unlikely that Facebook would be stupid enough to throw this away. What do they care if their bread gets buttered through the Instagram app?
Another interesting thing to note about Instagram is that a high follower count has become a status symbol. As people invest time and effort in building a large following, their commitment to the platform increases. It wouldn't surprise me if Instagram accounts for more than half of Facebook's value in the near future.
Facebook has been steadily making Instagram worse since they acquired it, by adding more and more features. Basically, they’re turning it into Facebook, the existing product, because that’s what they know how to do.
Currently, users in my Instagram social group are pretty unhappy with the change to a filtered feed, which produces a lack of visibility. This is exactly like the Facebook newsfeed, Where I can post something to my 2000, 500 friends… It gets no likes and no comments, compared to posting in a group with basically the same member where the same content receives plenty of attention, because it was actually displayed to the people who chose to follow me, without me giving Facebook money. There’s not much point in having 8,000 followers if they only show it to 2 percent of them.
It’s not surprising that the young rich beautiful people like Instagram. But I still appreciate that Facebook, Reddit and other text-based platforms allow an ugly person with a dumpy apartment and rusty car to publish their thoughts with the same format that Bill Gates would have.
it seems unlikely that Facebook would be stupid enough to throw this away
This sentiment expresses the difference between being 20 and being 40. Over the years, you will witness many companies snatching defeat from the jaws of victory for no fathomable reason.
It has actually made me wonder why Instagram needs Facebook at all. If they had managed to stay independent, I'm sure they could have continued to do very, very well.
Same in Toronto. 22+ is Instagram only. A few years ago you would add each other on Facebook. Now it’s Phone or Instagram socially, Twitter in tech circles, LinkedIn in business circles. People over 30 yrs will add you on Facebook but nobody younger bothers anymore.
Facebook scooping up Instagram has to be one of the best corporate acquisitions over the past 20 years. Hindsight is 20/20 but it makes sense that a simpler social network like Snapchat and Instagram would be a threat to Facebook once everyone's grandma got an account. A really interesting counterfactual would be a world were Facebook, Instagram & Snapchat are all competing.
> A really interesting counterfactual would be a world were Facebook, Instagram & Snapchat are all competing.
Obviously, antitrust laws are among the many things I know nothing about, but it still difficult for me to understand how they can allow facebook, instagram and whatsapp to be one corporation.
It's unclear if instagram would even be nearly what it is today without facebook, my guess is that both snapchat and twitter would've filled all the holes facebook was able to fill with instagram.
Instagram Stories is one of the most addictive application I have ever used.
It obviously replaced Snapchat but also Facebook, Tinder, even WhatsApp. What are you friends up to? Check your friends' stories. Wanna see some beautiful stories? Check some influencers' stories. Wanna tease a party or share fun pictures during a party, only with your friends? Use Instagram Stories. This app is a dream for people in their twenties.
The number of use cases this app created and the engagement it causes (the delay between posting a story and when it is seen by friends is rarely more than a few minutes) is really astonishing. Facebook will likely not die anytime soon, but Instagram is now the app and its acquisition was one of the smartest moves in the history of Facebook. If you want to learn more about the acquisition, I strongly recommend this article: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2013/06/kara-swishe...
For me Instagram Stories made Instagram worse :(
But that's because I still look at Instagram as an photo sharing app, not social network app. I guess I will need to revise my views sooner or later :(
I don't know about the states but Instagram is a major promotional tool for cafes and restaurants in Japan. People take photos of their drinks and dishes and share them on Instagram, tagging the cafe and a lot related tags. Meta-accounts with lots of followers then repost those and create buzz for the cafes. Then on the weekends the cafes get swarmed by people who found out about them through Instagram, repeating the cycle.
If you're in a major metro area in Japan and want to find the on-trend coffee joints, check out Instagram.
One thing I noticed after the most recent FB fallout, was that FB started aggressively promoting ads for IG. Now I guess they are trying to recollect their users now that things have calmed down a bit.
With all the mess that keeps getting added to insta, I would love Twitter to add a basic photos thing that was just the Instagram feed without all the Snapchat rubbish.
Instagram is a good 20% of most Facebook advertiser's account spend already. Not at all insignificant. For young and female targeted products, it's even higher.
Hard to believe a billion people use this nearly an hour a day....don't people have lives anymore? Sad, is what this really is. While there have been times I've used sites like reddit that much, it is a helluva lot different being involved in a dozen ongoing conversations about deep subjects than looking at pictures and saying the equivalent "ooh, nice picture! your cat is so cute." or "that latte art is so super keen" 100 times a day.
Already deleted my facebook - not much stopping me from deleting my instagram next. But i'm not a very active user anyway, so i'm not sure if it'll make its way into the few folks i follow.
I don't know why this is getting down-voted because it is relevant to the article. People have had it with the caustic posts on and outright lies about privacy by Facebook so they're moving to Instagram. Facebook appears to mostly have left Instagram alone since acquiring it but now it is getting more involved since the trend appears to indicate that Instagram is becoming the profit center.
But for people who mistrust Facebook, that is more than reason to drop Instagram. The thinking is, "I've seen what Facebook has done to itself. It's only a matter of time before they do the same to Instagram. I might as well get out now and find some better alternative."
The problem will not be solved by you and me deleting Facebook, Instagram or Google. The biggest problem is your friends who share your name and number with these social apps without thinking and without your approval. And you can’t even ask these big social tech companies to delete it. That’s the really scary thing in all this!
I also deleted my Facebook years ago, and wince every time I feel compelled to look at Instagram.
Speaking of dark patterns, few people probably ignore Instagram long enough to notice, but after weeks and weeks the app starts showing you head-fake notifications. They aren't mentions or messages, just 'alerts' that people you know are using Instagram and you should be looking.
[+] [-] tribune|7 years ago|reply
Like the article says, Instagram is absolutely an escape from the hostile interfaces and hostile posts that abound on core Facebook. It's still cool and it's still fun. Whatever the internal power dynamics, it seems unlikely that Facebook would be stupid enough to throw this away. What do they care if their bread gets buttered through the Instagram app?
Another interesting thing to note about Instagram is that a high follower count has become a status symbol. As people invest time and effort in building a large following, their commitment to the platform increases. It wouldn't surprise me if Instagram accounts for more than half of Facebook's value in the near future.
[+] [-] code_duck|7 years ago|reply
Currently, users in my Instagram social group are pretty unhappy with the change to a filtered feed, which produces a lack of visibility. This is exactly like the Facebook newsfeed, Where I can post something to my 2000, 500 friends… It gets no likes and no comments, compared to posting in a group with basically the same member where the same content receives plenty of attention, because it was actually displayed to the people who chose to follow me, without me giving Facebook money. There’s not much point in having 8,000 followers if they only show it to 2 percent of them.
[+] [-] ggg9990|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] reaperducer|7 years ago|reply
This sentiment expresses the difference between being 20 and being 40. Over the years, you will witness many companies snatching defeat from the jaws of victory for no fathomable reason.
[+] [-] mbesto|7 years ago|reply
Vanity is a helluva drug.
[+] [-] bobwaycott|7 years ago|reply
Three things immediately come to mind:
A. They paid a lot of money to acquire Instagram and want that investment to pay off.
2. There are users on Instagram from whom Facebook can extract value and profit.
D. If there is a way to make a buck off a user and their activity on a Facebook property, rest assured FB will take the step to make that buck.
[+] [-] pm90|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ajcodez|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] robdachshund|7 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] 40acres|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] beefield|7 years ago|reply
Obviously, antitrust laws are among the many things I know nothing about, but it still difficult for me to understand how they can allow facebook, instagram and whatsapp to be one corporation.
[+] [-] paxys|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] soziawa|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zjaffee|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] guelo|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] segmondy|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ArmandGrillet|7 years ago|reply
It obviously replaced Snapchat but also Facebook, Tinder, even WhatsApp. What are you friends up to? Check your friends' stories. Wanna see some beautiful stories? Check some influencers' stories. Wanna tease a party or share fun pictures during a party, only with your friends? Use Instagram Stories. This app is a dream for people in their twenties.
The number of use cases this app created and the engagement it causes (the delay between posting a story and when it is seen by friends is rarely more than a few minutes) is really astonishing. Facebook will likely not die anytime soon, but Instagram is now the app and its acquisition was one of the smartest moves in the history of Facebook. If you want to learn more about the acquisition, I strongly recommend this article: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2013/06/kara-swishe...
[+] [-] rimliu|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] j79|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] grblovrflowerrr|7 years ago|reply
If you're in a major metro area in Japan and want to find the on-trend coffee joints, check out Instagram.
[+] [-] nbar1|7 years ago|reply
If you own a flooring company and a cabinet company, you're going to try to convince your flooring customers to buy your cabinets.
[+] [-] SlowRobotAhead|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] pull_my_finger|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andy_ppp|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cm2012|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] anant90|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] XalvinX|7 years ago|reply
Get a life, world.
[+] [-] 08978675645342|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] meesterdude|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Zelphyr|7 years ago|reply
But for people who mistrust Facebook, that is more than reason to drop Instagram. The thinking is, "I've seen what Facebook has done to itself. It's only a matter of time before they do the same to Instagram. I might as well get out now and find some better alternative."
[+] [-] earthandmoon|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] subpixel|7 years ago|reply
Speaking of dark patterns, few people probably ignore Instagram long enough to notice, but after weeks and weeks the app starts showing you head-fake notifications. They aren't mentions or messages, just 'alerts' that people you know are using Instagram and you should be looking.