Will Facebook destroy Instagram?

I've talked before about why I love Instagram.

Instagram is a photo sharing application that makes it easy and fun to manipulate a photo with various filters and turn it into instant art. Then with a few clicks, you can share your photo with a caption via Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.

For example, a few days ago in Krakow, Poland I shot a mundane photo of some telephone booths with my iPhone and used Instagram to turn it into instant art.

Yesterday, Facebook announced a USD $1 billion acquisition of Instagram.

You can read the Facebook statement here.

I hope Facebook will not destroy Instagram

But I'm worried they will.

It seems to me that the big social players – Google, Facebook, and Twitter – are building walled gardens around their users in the exact same way that portals like Lycos, Excite, AOL, and Yahoo did a decade ago.

They hoard users and don't like to have hooks into each others' services.

Yes, I do understand that companies need to make money. I get that. Instagram's founders, employees, and investors deserve a payday.

How are Lycos, Excite, AOL, and Yahoo faring today??!!

Building walled gardens of Portal 2.0 is bad for users and ultimately leads to failure.

Here's more on this idea: Portal 2.0 take social backwards to the 1990s.

While the Zuck's statement says things won't change, I'm pessimistic.

• I can imagine a day in the near future when you can no longer post Instagram directly to Twitter.


• I'm also seeing a future where we are forced into the Facebook mobile app to use Instagram.


• Or perhaps, just like Google not playing nice with Twitter, you won't be able to access Instagram from other social sites.

Read the Zuck's statement. Has he earned your trust? Do you believe him? Or if you are an Instagram fanboy like me are you worried too?

My friend Ann Handley introduced me to Instagram. So went over to Ann's Twitter to see her take. "I love what she said: For many fans of Instagram, the news that Facebook is acquiring the photo-sharing mobile platform is a little like hearing that your best friend is engaged to that jerk. She might be thrilled. But you can’t help but feel a sense of doom about the whole arrangement." Here is Ann's thoughtful post.

What do you think? Are you worried like me and Ann? Or are we missing something?

Photo: Shot by David Meerman Scott near Krakow, Poland on an iPhone 4S and tweaked with Instagram. CC

Comments

[Emiel Sondag]

I get where everyone's coming from. I mean, we've seen Facebook eat great startups before, rip the teams apart, integrate them, never to be heard of again. So I get why Facebook is seen as the the new Yahoo here.

But, this will be the first time Facebook will keep a team intact, as well as their service independent from Facebook. Instagram is the largest mobile social network, and they did this all without Facebook (or Android, for that matter).

Suddenly the hipsterchiques are enraged because they expanded the Instagram experience to Android? Or are acquired by Facebook?

No, I don't think Facebook will destroy Instagram. The separation from Facebook is one of Instagrams' strengths. Facebook could (no, should) learn from this, maybe take notes, because the hipsterchiques aren't worried for nothing. Maybe they take a clue that we don't want full Facebook integration and put a like on everything.

[David Meerman Scott]

Emiel - I do hope you are correct. I'm pessimistic but do value your contrary opinion. Thanks.

[Bob James]

Bad news. But good photo!

[Ann Handley]

I'm worried, too, about full Facebook integration (and walling it off from other social networks).

At its core, Instagram is a rich platform that inspires intimacy, connectivity with others, and true engagement. Meanwhile, Facebook is anything but. So -- worried? Yes. Irrationally so? Perhaps. But so much depends on what Facebook does next.

My take is here, BTW: http://www.mpdailyfix.com/facebook-acquires-instagram-is-your-best-friend-marrying-that-guy/

[Dylan]

I might just cancel my Facebook account.

[garaughty]

Unfortunately I have the same feeling in the pit of my stomach about this deal as I do about Twitter buying Posterous a few weeks ago for the talent.

[Gerardvroomen]

I'm not worried. If Facebook kills Instagram, somebody else will step into that void. Instagram reaching 30 million followers from scratch is very impressive but let's face it, several other players have enough cloud to create a new service and sign up that many followers in a month, just from their current install base (apple, google, twitter).

Of course if the alternatives would also all belong to a closed system, that would be annoying. But in the end, the consumer chooses and as you point out, ultimately they choose choice.

[Gerardvroomen]

Oops. Of course some have clout, not cloud (except the Silicon Valley rainmakers, they have cloud too).

[Colin Warwick]

I'm more worried that the word "billion" reminds me of another "B"-word: bubble. There's no way Instagram is worth a billion of Zuck's or another sucker-berg's money.

[Nick_Walz]

I think it was a great move on facebooks part. When google bought youtube, it didn't ruin it and i don't think facebook is going to ruin instragram either. With pinterest growing so popular lately due to pictures and ideas and instragram being such a great picture application, i can see good things coming from this merge.

[Markkolier]

I agree with you David and am also worried about what FB will actually 'do' with Instagram. Thoughts of what happened with Napster crossed my mind! - http://wp.me/pJX7l-Cb

[Stan Dubin]

When the big guys buy out the little guys in the brick and mortar space, we get the good, the bad and the ugly. Although, now that I think of it, big guys often didn't buy out their much smaller competition. They squeezed them out with low prices and being located everywhere (books, office supplies, pet stores). All's fair there, as some of the small guys still made it go right with some very creative niche marketing.

But here, we have an exchange of a Buh, Buh, Billion dollars. I almost feel like Zuck paid that sum for the limelight associated with that exorbitant payout.

If, as David says, FB walls in Instagram as they have done with pretty much their entire online world, then it's a bad deal for us.

[Colin Warwick]

Instagram/Facebook should buy this company http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/lytro-camera-gallery/

[Steve]

There is a reason why many believe the Facebook acqisition of Instagram will lead to the demise of Instagram, it is called GoWalla

[ConnectionMaven]

David, I agree with you that Google and Facebook are building walled gardens around their users or "product". I said as much in my blog post in 2010. http://charlestonpr.com/posts/back-to-the-future/

[Dance]

This merge is probably due to Pinterest growing so popular lately due to pictures and ideas and Instragram being such a great picture application.

[Alex R.]

I wonder how many people actually use Instagram as a Social Media outlet vs. just a photo enhancer program. I know for myself, I just use it to make my iPhone photos look cool but never comment, like, etc. anyone elses images.

[David Guetta]

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[Cygnis Media]

Facebook has been blocked for years in China, but Instagram is already in use in the country, pointed out Lorretta Chao on a Wall Street Journal blog.

[Web Survey Software]

yeah facebook destroy not only instagram, facebook destroy future of our youngsters.

[FeliciaCorrine]

We can’t be sure of what will happen. Let us hope for the best. It will be difficult if Facebook restricts accessing Instagram from other social networking sites and sharing it directly with them. I have been using Instagram and it is very cool. By the way I like your photo!

[Gary Brock]

I'm not so worried. I suspect that Facebook will treat Instagram the way Google treats Youtube. Youtube is a tremendous asset for Google and hopefully Instagram will be a big asset for Facebook.

[FB App Development]

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