Facebook Buys Instagram

By now you have certainly heard that Facebook spent $1 billion on Instagram, a much smaller operation. Everyone is questioning this move, including Instagram users. A large percentage of them logged into their accounts after the announcement to back-up their pictures, leading some to believe that they are removing their content (others note that they could simply have been backing up their photos before the changeover).


Facebook has not let on why they wanted the smaller photo company, either. The criticism of Instagram most often cited is that it is simply a run of the mill photo service, without anything proprietary or unique to it. Along these lines, it's worth noting that the purchase of the company came right after Instagram released a version for the Android, and that Instagram has been buzzworthy as of late.

The small company was founded in 2010 and is still seen as a new kid on the block. Some prefer it for its mobility, and the Android release plays right into this. In a sense, Instagram was working what it's got and keeping the focus off of what it is not. Facebook may have taken this into account, buying Instagram as much for its "cool factor" as any service or feature it offers.

There was a backlash though, and what Facebook is going to do with Instagram remains to be seen. Twitter was flush with comments on the purchase earlier in the week, and a slew of articles much better than this one hit the Web following the announcement and reaction.

© C Harris Lynn, 2012