Jakarta –
Co-founder Instagram Kevin Systrom admitted that he was sad to see the application he created at this time. He said Instagram has now lost its identity.
Systrom says he used to frequently go to Instagram to see what his family and friends were up to. But now he feels that his application is more like a commercial platform where brands and influencers make money.
“I think we’ve lost the soul that made Instagram Instagram,” Systrom said in an interview on tech journalist Kara Swisher’s podcast, as quoted from Insider, Wednesday (22/3/2023).
According to Systrom, Instagram’s main problem is that the incentives it provides lead to more ads, more creators, and more ad revenue.
This problem also has social consequences. Systrom said Instagram has now become a place for people to show off their wealth and as if they live comfortably without limits.
This creates a terrible dynamic, according to Systrom. He said many Instagram users see this pretend lifestyle as the real life of the people behind the account.
“Life is very difficult, and whatever people post on Instagram is the tip of the iceberg. This is a race for who can be the most perfect,” he said.
Systrom said he saw this change on his own Instagram feed. He said many of his friends used to only post content about daily activities and now post advertising content.
“That, to me, is not the Instagram we founded,” said Systrom.
Systrom founded Instagram with Mike Krieger in 2010. In April 2012, Instagram was officially purchased by Facebook (now called Meta) for USD 1 billion. Systrom and Krieger also joined Facebook as CEO and CTO of Instagram, respectively.
In September 2018, Systrom and Krieger announced his retirement from Instagram. Both of them did not reveal the reason for the resignation, but reportedly Systrom and Krieger had clashed with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
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