How Facebook has Exploited Instagram until Now and What is Coming Next!

We all remember the famous $ 1 billion Instagram acquisition by Facebook. Ever since that day a lot has happened to Instagram, it's not like Instagram was not famous or something. It was already a popular app on smartphones and had millions of active happy users before Facebook brought it for $ 1 billion. After it's acquisition by Facebook their were many milestones crossed in terms of it's popularity among users, but at the same time there were also defaming facts in terms of spam and Ownership of photos on Instagram. In this special edition we shall discuss few interesting milestones as to how Facebook has exploited Instagram until now.

Exploitation-1: The controversial Instagram TOS Update

On 17th Dec 2012 Instagram updates it's Terms of Service (TOS) for the first time ,ever since it's acquisition by Facebook. The TOS update stated that Instagram will be granting itself the right to sell users' photos to third parties (that is Advertisers) without notification or compensation starting on January 16, 2013. The TOS was loud and clear that users were going to lose their Photo's ownership and will now be available for Facebook to use them to distribute to Advertisers for advertising. The very move was heavily criticized with a large portion of Instagram users deleting their account to avoid losing the ownership of their photos. The mass deletion caused Instagram to lose a portion of it's user base as they switched to other Instagram like services. Thanks to popular criticisms from privacy advocates, consumers, National Geographic and celebrities like Kim Kardashian prompted Instagram to issue a statement retracting the controversial terms. Although the TOS  were retracted but many users had to suffer as their photos were used by Advertisers, The damage caused hasn't been compensated until now and can't be paid too. This very controversy is also famously coined as "Instagram's Suicide Note". So the Point here is Facebook exploiting Instagram to boost it's Advertising system regardless of opposition.

A Few Popular Replies to Instagram's Suicide Note

Popular Kim Kardashian Criticizm Tweet

Exploitation-11: The Controversial Instagram User Photo ID Verification

Instagram being a popular app, many users used it to popularize their Internet presence to their followers by using their Instagram user account names as cool pseudonyms, Internet nicknames, shortened names for long names and other stylized usernames that bear some or no resemblance at all to a person’s legal name. In fact many Celebrities often employ stylized usernames to woe their followers. Many accounts were locked down due to this change and was asking for Photo ID's to ensure that the account holder is a real person and is not using it as someone else , because anonymity can help anyone to use Instagram for wrong reasons, Violating the Instagram TOS.  It’s still vague for now, whether Instagram will be switching to a real names policy or not. Apparently the drill was supposed to be test that Facebook was testing on Facebook but evidently applied it to Instagram too. There was also a Typo from Facebook's side which lead to conclusions that the Notice might be a hacking attempt, but very soon the Social Media Giant corrected their typo and on January 2013, it was confirmed that Instagram has asked for user's for Government issued photo IDs to verify identities due to unspecified violations. This very change made many Instagram users to avoid the verification process as they were unsure as to why Instagram was asking for it and deleted their Instagram accounts. So the Point is Facebook using Instagram to test it's projects which lead to a little defaming of Instagram.

Instagram Photo ID controversy as Reported by TPM

Probable Upcoming Exploitation of Instagram by Facebook

Recently Instagram introduced 15 sec duration Videos to Instagram. If you Analyze this very move of Facebook to Introduce videos into Instagram, then you will realize few blank points that will help you understand the upcoming exploitation. Firstly the Exploitation-I of dethroning users from their Photo ownership wasn't that successful thanks to all the criticism from all over the world. So basically Facebook's move of owning all the photos on Instagram and to provide them as resources to third parties for Advertising was foiled, so they moved on to Exploitation-II so that control accounts which violated Instagram's TOS and obtain a few handful of photos collected from these possessed accounts. Since this too wasn't that successful as users were smart enough to delete their accounts which in turn foiled their this attempt too. Now by introducing videos to Instagram, Facebook can now control advertising on Instagram with the help of invideo advertising. Talking of which the Ad free Instagram network will now be soon be marred with Advertising. And not to forget the spam that users have been fighting everyday. So in short the upcoming exploitation will be introduction of Advertisements into Instagram Videos and you won't be able to avoid it, till then enjoy Instagram when you can because you know what is coming next! Talking of which this article makes me wonder if Instagram will share revenues with it's users, besides you can't watermark your created videos on Instagram as feature of Uploading videos to Instagram through your external device is currently unavailable.
Update: External video import service now available for Instagram
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Hope this will help you in extending your views about how Facebook is Exploiting Instagram.

Happy Uploading! Happy watermarking! Happy Instagraming!
How Facebook has Exploited Instagram until Now and What is Coming Next! published on 22nd June 2013 by Genius knight
Category: Instagram