When Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger sold Instagram to Facebook in 2012, the photo-sharing startups fiercely loyal fans worried about what would happen to their beloved app under the social media giants wings.
None of their worst fears materialized. But now that its founders have announced they are leaving in a swirl of well wishes and vague explanations, some of the same worries are bubbling up again — and then some. Will Instagram disappear? Get cluttered with ads and status updates? Suck up personal data for advertising the way its parent does? Lose its cool?
Worst of all: Will it just become another Facebook?
“It’s probably a bigger challenge (for Facebook) than most people realize,” said Omar Akhtar, an analyst at the technology research firm Altimeter. “Instagram is the only platform that is growing. And a lot of people didn’t necessarily make the connection between Instagram and Facebook.”
Instagram had just 31 million users when Facebook snapped it up for $1 billion; now it has a billion. It had no ads back then; it now features both display and video ads, although they’re still restrained compared to Facebook. But that could quickly change. Facebook’s growth has started to slow, and Wall Street has been pushing the company to find new ways to increase revenue.
Instagram has been a primary focus of those efforts.
Facebook has been elevating Instagram’s profile in its financial discussions. In July, it unveiled a new metric for analysts, touting that 2.5 billion people use at least one of its apps — Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger — each month. While not particularly revealing, the measurement underscores the growing importance Facebook places on those secondary apps.
Bu hikaye AppleMagazine dergisinin September 28, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye AppleMagazine dergisinin September 28, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Apple Set to Unveil New iPads at
Apple Inc. has officially announced its upcoming “Let Loose” event scheduled for May 7, signaling a significant showcase of new hardware, specifically focusing on the iPad line.
AMAZON REPORTS STRONG 10 RESULTS DRIVEN BY ITS CLOUD-COMPUTING UNIT AND PRIME VIDEO AD DOLLARS
Amazon reported this week strong results for the first quarter, driven by growth in its cloud computing unit and new advertising dollars from its Prime Video streaming service.
META UNDER FIRE FROM EUROPEAN UNION FOR NOT DOING ENOUGH ABOUT ELECTION DISINFORMATION
The European Union said this week that it’s investigating Facebook and Instagram for suspected violations of the bloc’s digital rulebook, including not doing enough to protect users from foreign disinformation ahead of EU-wide elections.
THE TIKTOK LAW KICKS OFF A NEW SHOWDOWN BETWEEN BEIJING AND WASHINGTON.WHAT'S COMING NEXT?
TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company, a move almost certainly backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young people in America to connect online.
SCAMMERS STOLE MORE THAN $3.4 BILLION FROM OLDER AMERICANS LAST YEAR, AN FBI REPORT SAYS
Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report released this week that shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings.
SAMSUNG REPORTS A 10-FOLD INCREASE IN PROFIT AS AI DRIVES REBOUND IN MEMORY CHIP MARKETS
Samsung Electronics reported this week a 10fold increase in operating profit for the last quarter as the expansion of artificial intelligence technologies drives a rebound in the markets for computer memory chips.
LAWMAKERS AND ADVOCATES MAKE LAST-DITCH PUSH TO EXTEND AFFORDABLE INTERNET SUBSIDY
Twenty-three million families in the U.S. will have bigger internet bills starting in May. That’s because a federal broadband subsidy program they’re enrolled in is nearly out of money.
ELIMINATION OF TESLA'S CHARGING DEPARTMENT RAISES WORRIES AS EVS FROM OTHER AUTOMAKERS JOIN NETWORK
Elon Musk’s move to lay off the department responsible for Tesla’s electric vehicle chargers has touched off worries in the auto industry that EVs from other automakers will have trouble joining Tesla’s network.
US TO REQUIRE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ON NEW VEHICLES IN 5 YEARS AND SET PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PASS
In the not-too-distant future, automatic emergency braking will have to come standard on all new passenger vehicles in the United States, a requirement that the government says will save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of injuries every year.
'SHARDLAKE' IS A TUDOR-ERA MYSTERY SERIES.IT'S ALSO A WIN FOR DISABLED CHARACTERS ITS STAR SAYS
Matthew Shardlake steps out of the pages of the late C.J. Sansom’s popular historical mystery novels and into a new show, bringing with him disability representation.
