I have to be honest: I’m only using Facebook for these key reasons:
– Managing Facebook Pages for Utterly Random Techie and Cebu Content Creators
– Catch up with family and friends through Messenger (which doesn’t require a Facebook account anymore).
– Share the stuff in my blog and my podcast (The Creator Life).
And then there’s Instagram.
I’ve already sung its praises in previous posts in this very blog. Instagram is probably the best thing Facebook has going for it today. Despite its humble beginnings as a photo-sharing app, Instagram has reached a billion monthly active users! That’s not easy to reach considering that the app is only out for less than a decade! Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 because of its potential to be the next generation of social networks.
Yet, they sought to seize control of it because it was the only shiny object in Facebook’s treasure chest. As Facebook lost their audience in the US, most of them flocked to Instagram. Just look at this stat:
Advertisers are more likely to reach MORE adults on Instagram compared to Facebook based on data from agorapulse.com in 2015. In 2018, the main product came under fire A LOT thanks to the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Russian interference.
Co-Founders Said Goodbye.
Fast forward to last week, when Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger shocked the world (and most notably Facebook)! They posted on the company’s website of their resignation. Facebook got shocked by this since they didn’t have the usual “thank you” post for those who resign.
I think this was a slow burn. Slowly but surely, Facebook messed with things in Instagram that they never shouldn’t. Instagram having ads worried me a lot, but they made it seamless and easy to skip through. (Looks similar to how Facebook does it though.)
Look at the screenshot below from the Instagram app. One of the ways that Facebook ruins Instagram is how they’re encouraging you to share your Instagram Stories to Facebook. It seems kinda innocent at first, but this really reinforces who’s the boss in this situation.
Now, it is pretty obvious. Facebook ruins Instagram. I’m sure being in a big company like Facebook gets you a lot of resources and manpower, but if it costs your autonomy and creativity then it’s a good thing. Systrom and Krieger get to be creative again and start anew.
As for Facebook, I think they need to be very careful. They don’t want Instagram to become the next Facebook. I also don’t think IGTV will last that long since it conflicts with Facebook Watch. All I have left to say is: