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I don't believe the Instagram billion was about acquiring 13 software engineers. It was about controlling an application that was a huge (and growing) competito

by vosper 11y ago

I don't believe the Instagram billion was about acquiring 13 software engineers. It was about controlling an application that was a huge (and growing) competitor for attention on mobile, was it's own social network, and was better (or at least, more flexible and fun) than Facebook at one of Facebook's core functionalities: sharing photos.

danieltillett 11y ago
It was about preventing any social application that might conceivably threaten facebook. Personally I think it was a bit of an over reaction on Facebook’s side, but they do seem very paranoid about this. I have to say I am a true old fuddy-duddy when it comes to Instagram as I can’t think of a single use for it that appeals to me.
- tedks 11y ago
  That's exactly the intention of instagram. It took my parents a very long time to get on instagram and they only eventually did so to try to police my teenage sister (who promptly made a new account, added her friends to it, and dribbled a few worksafe photos a month onto the account our parents knew about). Now everyone is on snapchat, which fortunately, nobody's parents will EVER be aware of.
  - lacker 11y ago
    Parents will become aware of Snapchat, at least when the current cohort of Snapchatters starts having kids ;-)
    - tedks 11y ago
      Lol. When do you think millenials will have kids? When they have houses? Stable jobs? Nope, you Gen-Xers have fscked yourselvs as far as that goes. Nobody in my generation in the West will ever be able to have children. Hope you like immigrants.
- pconner 11y ago
  > I have to say I am a true old fuddy-duddy when it comes to Instagram as I can’t think of a single use for it that appeals to me. On Facebook, people present a polished version of their lives as if it's reflective of everything in their lives. On Instagram, the purpose is to show polished (and "filtered") versions of what you're doing. I like that Instagram is a bit more honest about what it really is.
  - ghrifter 11y ago
    Aside from that, its a neat way to consume art or nature/sport/hobby photography without the fluff of facebook
    - danieltillett 11y ago
      This seemed the best use for Instagram, but my phone is not the best device for looking at art.
  - danieltillett 11y ago
    Yes this seems to be the purpose, but as a 40 something married man I don’t have too much interest in presenting a polished photographic image of myself to the world :)
- mkehrt 11y ago
  I wasn't a user for a long time, but now that I am, I have to say that Instagram is really pleasant to use. It's just photographs, which gives it a pleasant simplicity other social networks lack. It's nice to occasionally check to see what pictures friends and others have taken.

by vosper 11y ago

danieltillett 11y ago

It was about preventing any social application that might conceivably threaten facebook. Personally I think it was a bit of an over reaction on Facebook’s side, but they do seem very paranoid about this. I have to say I am a true old fuddy-duddy when it comes to Instagram as I can’t think of a single use for it that appeals to me.

tedks 11y ago
That's exactly the intention of instagram. It took my parents a very long time to get on instagram and they only eventually did so to try to police my teenage sister (who promptly made a new account, added her friends to it, and dribbled a few worksafe photos a month onto the account our parents knew about). Now everyone is on snapchat, which fortunately, nobody's parents will EVER be aware of.
- lacker 11y ago
  Parents will become aware of Snapchat, at least when the current cohort of Snapchatters starts having kids ;-)
  - tedks 11y ago
    Lol. When do you think millenials will have kids? When they have houses? Stable jobs? Nope, you Gen-Xers have fscked yourselvs as far as that goes. Nobody in my generation in the West will ever be able to have children. Hope you like immigrants.
pconner 11y ago
> I have to say I am a true old fuddy-duddy when it comes to Instagram as I can’t think of a single use for it that appeals to me. On Facebook, people present a polished version of their lives as if it's reflective of everything in their lives. On Instagram, the purpose is to show polished (and "filtered") versions of what you're doing. I like that Instagram is a bit more honest about what it really is.
- ghrifter 11y ago
  Aside from that, its a neat way to consume art or nature/sport/hobby photography without the fluff of facebook
  - danieltillett 11y ago
    This seemed the best use for Instagram, but my phone is not the best device for looking at art.
- danieltillett 11y ago
  Yes this seems to be the purpose, but as a 40 something married man I don’t have too much interest in presenting a polished photographic image of myself to the world :)
mkehrt 11y ago
I wasn't a user for a long time, but now that I am, I have to say that Instagram is really pleasant to use. It's just photographs, which gives it a pleasant simplicity other social networks lack. It's nice to occasionally check to see what pictures friends and others have taken.