Facebook Buys Instagram; People Whine
This morning, there’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Facebook’s impending billion dollar purchase of the popular photo app Instagram. With its built-in social networking features and easy-to-use interface, such a sale would seem like a no-brainer, but it wasn’t long before my twitter-feed lit up with complaints and negativity in response. Many of them were quick to brag about how they’ve never used the app, claiming that the Facebook acquisition only strengthens their resolve. Perhaps the most annoying tweet I’ve seen on the subject insists Facebook’s purchase proves there’s a market for “pretentious hipster bullshit.”
Ironically, people’s refusal to try the app despite Facebook’s attempt to bring it to the masses may seem a bit pretentious in and of itself. If anything, the purchase of Instagram has proven that there’s still a market for internet start-ups, so long as they can attract enough attention. Perhaps it will serve as a lesson to developers, and encourage them to think outside of the box. After all, you never know who might be interested your products down the line.