instagram.

today, there has been a lot of talk about the new instagram tos and i know i, along with the majority of the world, am reconsidering my usage of the app.

i have had instagram for around two years, back to when it was a secret app and people wanted to know how to get the filters. it has only been in the past year, though, that i have started to utilize it to the best it can be. i started following people who aren't celebrities or friends - people who have real talent and are creative with their pictures. in all honesty, it has made me more creative and think more about what i was taking a picture of. 

i know some people use it for art, some for sharing pictures of their nights out, their food (harhar) and so on, and there are many different circles within the instagram app. i have loved seeing people enjoying my images and can honestly say that instagram is my most used app. 

when they release the new tos, i briefly scanned them, not thinking about them too much, thinking it was just a rerelease of their current tos with a few minor changes, but when i read the new york times article about it, i was shocked. i was never a fan of the facebook takeover, i resisted updating when they  made changes until my app was so slow and shut down multiple times per use that i had to update - which we all know app makers do on purpose - and it took me a long time to get used to the 'new instagram'.

over the past few months, everyone has noticed the instagram spammers, and i have only dealt with a couple, thankfully, but still find them annoying when reading the comments on a picture i like. but spam accounts a long with instagram profitting from users photos is downright awful. having my images taken and used in an ad with the profits going to instagram is a huge no no to me, but i imagine so much worse for people who share their work which is their livelihood. 

this blog is here to share my thoughts and a place for me to be creative. a perfect feature for that is photos i would have posted to instagram. bearing that in mind, from 16th january - if instagram doesn't change their new tos - i will be shutting down my instagram account and sharing all the photos i would have uploaded to instagram here. 

what are your views on the instagram situation; keep or delete?

♡ 

p.s the new tos doesn't go into action until january 16th and all photos uploaded before that won't be affected, just incase you didn't know. 

p.p.s here is an article that gives you a step-by-step guide to saving all your instagram photos and deleting your account.

edit: instagram released this blog post tonight explaining a lot of things that have been interpreted from their wording (their words, not mine) of the new terms of service. make sure you read it!