Facebook buys Instagram: What I think

If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me today, ‘What do you think about Facebook buying Instagram?’ … well, I wouldn’t have a billion dollars, but it has been raised a lot.

To be honest, I was only thinking over the weekend that Instagram is getting bigger than … Instagram with the introduction of Android users. I think they’ve done really well up until now, but I am kinda excited by what Facebook could bring to the table {and a little aprehensive}. As long as they let it be it’s own ‘thing’ and don’t try to migrate it into a Facebook product too much, I think we might just be okay.

Here’s how I think Facebook could improve it:

  • Create a kick-butt Instagram web viewer – Webstagram does a pretty neat job, as does Followgram and Instagrid, but I think this should be more seamless. We really just need one platform to house all our photos online, where non-Instagram users can also view the photos and participate in the community.
  • Get rid of spam accounts – I am so over spammers on Instagram. I’m not going to follow you and no, I’m not going to give you a like for a like. Take that! I think there could definitely be an improvement for accounts that use other people’s photos and just spam others feeds with comments.
  • Share-ability – The beauty of platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest {to name a few} is the share-ability of pictures, words, links etc. I think Instagram could definitely be more shareable. The only way we can share now is to email someone the link to the photo from Instagram, or a link to the photo on a web viewer like Webstagram. An easy share option can send the most beautiful of pictures viral.
  • Put an end to the wiggy-ness – To be honest I don’t know if ‘wiggy’ is a word, but it’s how I describe a website/app doing weird things. Like, taking ages to load, comments not appearing, and just straight playing up. Instagram plays up for me a lot. I can’t even take photos in Instagram, it always, always crashes on me. I have to take them in another app to load them. They could definitely improve those glitches!

But, of course, they could also potentially screw it up too. I love that Instagram feels a little bit grass roots. It’s got it’s flaws, and that’s kinda comforting in a world that’s so whizz-bang digital and bigger than Ben-Hur. I like that’s just 9 people plugging away on it. I hope those 9 people still get to play with it, unless they want to run away with their millions and buy an island.

Here’s how else I hope they don’t ruin it:

  • Introducing web uploads – I don’t want another Flickr or a photobucket. I love that it’s mobile only and that people post pretty much in real time. If we open it up to web uploads, then it becomes less exclusive. I’d hate to see people heavily editing their photos and sharing things that aren’t instant or real.
  • Getting all fancy pants on us – Sure, I mentioned above that there could be more improvements made to the general wiggy-ness, but I mean just that. It doesn’t need to become all fancy and high-tech. We don’t need another video sharing platform, or any whizz bang GIF images playing around on Instagram. Simple works! Please Facebook keep it simple.
  • Knuckling down with the Facebook police – Facebook has a lot of rules and guidelines to cover it’s butt. Like no competitions on pages and no promotional words on cover photos for timelines. Every community needs it guidelines, but Instagram is a great space for creatives to be creative. It’s allowed people to explore and share in new ways. I hope the Facebook police step back a bit and don’t crack down too hard.
  • Make it too shareable – I know I mentioned above that it would be great to improve the shareability, but there is a fine line between just enough and too much. I don’t know what that fine line is, but I think people need to be able to protect their own photos and share if that’s what they want to do.
  • Bringing in Facebook log-ins – I know everyone loves a Facebook log-in, and I see how this could potentially streamline the social experience, particularly between Instagram and Facebook, but already people can see what sites I read and what pages I like due to Facebook. I kinda like that I can take my photos on Instagram and if I don’t want Facebook to know about them, they don’t. Simple. I am hoping they remain separate or at least optional.
  • Messing with the filters – Don’t mess with the filters. Just don’t.

What do you think about the acquisition? Good or bad? What do you hope they change or keep the same?

P.S. Do you think we’ll see an instant upload from Instagram to Facebook profile photos? Self-portait with a flattering filter over it, anyone?

53 thoughts on “Facebook buys Instagram: What I think”

  2. I nearly fell off my chair this morning when I read this… $1 billion for an app that has never made a profit! Some people some where are celebrating in grand fashion today. I only recently came to Instagram because I only recently came to owning an iphone and I love it. I'm sure they won't make a balls of it..surely, and I agree with you…don't touch the filters!
    You have a great blog too by the way, thank you.

  3. I'm not sure what I think of it yet. Like you, I see both sides. Facebook could bring some cool things to the table but they are also a big corporation and big corporations can often come with so many strings attached which in turn, could make a mess of things.
    The good news is – with the big ticket price Instagram just got, you can bet there'll be tons of people working on new apps now so we'll get a lot more choice and the next 'big one' could be just around the corner!

  4. I'm hoping it was a strategic business decision to buy a competitor in the social media game and it won't be to incorporate the two businesses in any way. Perhaps I'm an idealist, but I believe that FB have their niche worked out perfectly and they don't need to take over IG with ads and a link between the two platforms. The two companies stand alone and this currently works. Lets hope it stays that way *fingers crossed*

    • you can! just “pinch in” your portrait image a TINY bit (as if you wanted to make it smaller)…and then you can crop & frame the photo how you wish.

  7. My fear is that FB will do to Instagram what Google did to Picnik: buy it, keep it open for a year or two while integrating it into its own platform, and then shut it down. Unless, of course, you have a FB account. It's just a mobile app for now, but I imagine that that will change. Zuckerburg will have to find a way to monetize it. He has to find some way to make a return on his investment so its bound to change somehow.

    I don't like it, but I don't blame the Instagram people. $1 billion is a lot of money. I'd have sold out, too.

    • i totally agree. i'm so glad google didn't buy instagram for this very reason!

      i am JUST about to get an iphone and hop on the instagram wagon…i'm afraid i'll have never known “the good old days” of instagram.

  8. If they put Ads in I'll flip my lid, I'm not even kidding. Not everything needs to be monetised… I hope Zucks thinks of his investment as “social good” practice.

  9. i think that for sure they will bring in a Facebook login and like you I hate that people can always see what I read etc on Fb. annoying! (there must be a privacy option I am missing – surely!) What I would love to see is the ability to sort the people you follow into groups and then look at photos that way – I find I miss heaps of photos if I am not looking regularly and I think a way to more easily categorise and view followers would be ace!

  10. i totally agree that it MUST remain a mobile app. if users are allowed to upload photos from a web-based platform (ie from their computer) it will take away from the “real-time” feed and spontaneity of the app, encouraging bulk uploads.

    Excellent point.

  11. For some reason, my hunch tells me that no good can come out of this. I too like how there's a “grass roots” feeling about IG and I'm kinda okay with the glitches because of that. I'm there because it's “not whizz-bang and bigger than Ben Hur”. But I get a feeling that's what FB will change about it.
    Hopefully, I'm completely wrong.

  12. I am such a newbie to Instragram (I'm talking one week into it)! So, I'm still getting used to it. However, I have to admit I'm being suckered into it because it has that grassroots feel. I can't imagine Mr Z is going to leave it alone too much. If there's money to be made… 🙁

  14. I'm only new to instagram (like a week) so I really dont know what to think at all! There seems to be a popularity contest mentality, people just gathering likes through spam. so it would be nice if that was regulated. id be interested to see the average age of an instagram account user! I hope not much changes because it does seem like a really nice app!

  16. It'd be great if you could access if from something other than an Iphone.. I feel like I am missing out on something, thankfully my Nokia N9 has Sophie cam 😀

  18. I love following you on Instagram and I'm 100% with you on allowing the sharing with FB capabilities to remain the same. Sometimes I dont want certain pics on FB and others I do! I hope not too many things change …

    • This is the main reason that Facebook buying Instagram concerns me, was talking about it at work today.

      Nobody understood me 🙁

  20. I think my biggest 'issue' with it is a general erk and that is these big companies buying out the smaller guys and creating a massive sphere of control over the web. How long before the independent and creative little guys get quashed by these big companies?

    Like you say, there are a whole lot of rules etc. that Facebook adhere to and the danger is it starts policing Instagram to the detriment of creativity and free-thought.

    That is the danger with anything though isn't it …

    http://unpublishedworksofme.blogspot.co.uk/

  21. I am a droid user and was so excited when instagram became available to me, but I am with you…I love the grass roots feel of it, the filters also. Loved your post on this. I didn't know that Facebook had purchased instagram.

  22. I am a droid user and was so excited when instagram became available to me, but I am with you…I love the grass roots feel of it, the filters also. Loved your post on this. I didn't know that Facebook had purchased instagram.

  23. I am a droid user and was so excited when instagram became available to me, but I am with you…I love the grass roots feel of it, the filters also. Loved your post on this. I didn't know that Facebook had purchased instagram.

  24. Great thoughts Chantelle – I really hope it remains mobile as well! Otherwise we might as well just use photoshop and upload pics to our facebook!

  26. This kind of freaks me out. I feel like FB owns the world. HA. So who knows what will happen now. I don't want a FB log-on either. UGH. I hate that.

  28. As a android user I still believe facebook is the worst thing that could happen to instagram. Would've loved to see them flourish on their own or if they must be bought out be bought by twitter.

  29. I find Statigram quite good.
    Pensive about FB acquisition myself but will wait and see along with the masses.
    And on the subject of masses, I quite liked having a little bit of an exclusive group of iPhone & iPad users having a real cool app to share. Like being in a club or something. But thats a bit snobby isn't it? So I shall grow up & be all sharey sharey with the Androids. I guess.
    Cheeky me. ;o)

  30. I won't lie I am not so excited about this at all. Sure there are ways that FB can improve Instagram…but there are more ways it can ruin it in my opinion. I hope they leave it alone and let it be its own thing.

  31. I'm new to Instagram because it just became available for Android. There was some brohaha over that, as well.

    I'm not sure how I feel about Facebook and Instagram together though. Facebook has SO many mobile issues, constantly. This just screams bad news for Instagram. 🙁

    I'm with you on it staying purely mobile. While I can't always upload while on the go (300mbs with Instagram disappears FAST, so I have to be selective) but I love that I can take the picture wherever I am and upload when I come into a WiFi enabled area :D.

  32. I am not looking forward to the FB/Istagram thing at all. All of the things you said would ruin it, those are what facebook is notorious for. I feel like we're going to be so bogged down with rules that it's not going to be the same. I hope they leave it alone for the most part.

  33. I just want it to stay mobile, nothing changes.. if anything does happen to change, maybe more filters??? And I don't want my pictures automatically bleeding on my FB wall.

  34. I couldn't agree with you more Chantelle. I love Instagram…pretty much JUST the way it is. Yeah, it needs a few touch-ups to help it run faster & more efficiently….but overall it's a fun, easy, social & connective way to share photos & have some 'social media' fun 🙂
    The next few months will be interesting, as we'll all be waiting to see what happens to the fete of our beloved Instagram 🙂
    x

  35. I instantly deleted my account when I heard the news. FB has way too much power over our society as it is – do they really need more? I can't stand FB and am really bummed that they are taking over a service that I used to use quite a bit.

  37. I was so disappointed to hear that facebook got their hands on instagram… I have been saving up for an android phone just so I can use instagram (crazy I know but i love the concept) and now I am not even going to get on it…. I can't stand facebook for personal reasons and trust issues. I just have this funny gut instinct about it and it worries me that so many people have embraced it without fully understanding it… I hope they keep it seperate…But I will be keeping a close eye on this before I make up my mind…

  38. I guess there's a lot of fear of the unknown out there, although we do have precedents. As long as IG stays pretty much the same, maybe with some improvements like those you suggested, then I'll be happy. I love th community grassroots feel too, even more than twitter because I am quite visual.

    Have you read the views of @joshjohnson on IG and the comments he received? He's trying to be positive about it on the phone and even wrote an IG letter to Mark Zuckerberg overnight.

  39. I do hope that Facebook respects Instagram's design and not merge to make one big giant. I love both, but what I like the most about Instagram is that you let the pictures do the talking. I like how creative one can get with all their filters.

  40. A fantastic breakdown, so readable and friendly. I have seen a few techy write ups around the net, but this one says it all so well for me. I am a newbie Instagram user no my 'droid, and still figuring out the whole thing.

  41. I agree with everything you've said Chantelle.
    When I first heard the news I thought exactly the same thing…”oh no, they will try to make you integrate your accounts!” and “What are they going to do to it?”.
    I still have those concerns.
    I use facebook for close family and friends and that's it- I have a very different use for Instagram.

    And yes, down with those god awful spammers.

  42. im so not happy about it! i dont think facebook know how to not mess with stuff… the main reason im worried is because im loving instagram over FB these days because i can do what i like without everyone knowing about it! it all comes down to a privacy thing and they are known for changing settings constantly and trying to do it in a way that people dont notice… i guess we will see what happens!

  44. I love reading ur posts babe and I completely agree with you on this whole thing.

    I LOVE instagram having got it in January. I use it alll the time and love the fact that it's kinda exclusive to only mobiles.

    I have an iPhone but Im glad it's now on Android as my brother can use it too now instead of constantly borrowing my phone.

    The ONLY thing I wish wud change is that there wud be a few more filters….. but knowing FB they will screw up a gorgeous little app like this.

    Tear :'(

  45. It will be interesting to see what they – or don't do to it!

    But I hope they will bring added know-how to make it even better

    PS Have you checked out Statigram? It allows a fair bit of sharing and viewing and so on of your Instagram on a web browser. My favourite feature is that you can set up circles so you don't miss pics from your peeps!

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