T’was long ago Instagram was my favorite social media platform.

Until Facebook killed her.

I like taking pictures, I like looking at pictures, I like posting pictures. Pictures of mountains, pictures of cats, pictures of outer space. I don’t like Twittering or Tik Toketing – I literally just want to post and see pictures.

Specifically, I want to see pictures from those I’ve followed: my friends, specific celebrities, and places like Shenandoah National Park. I legit don’t care about some random influencer shilling selling some clothes, nor do I care to see what Glacier National Park posts – if I did, I would’ve followed them. These ADs make me want to purchase that product, or follow that entity, infinitely less than I did before. Whereas my feelings were once indifferent or benign towards certain things, they are now malevolent because of Instagram ADs.

Every other post I scroll through is an AD.

Sometimes I see ADs from creators I follow rather than their actual posts. Seriously? The people I follow have to pay for an AD just so I, who is already following them, can see their posts? I meander through my stories in a haze of boredom and literally every other story is an AD. Sometimes, I get Double ADs – two ADs back-to-back if you will, before seeing stories from those I follow. When I scroll to the end of my feed, I am not taken to old posts from those I follow, rather I’m taken to more ADs from those I do not know and do not care to know. Are you kidding me? Isn’t that what my home page is for?

Then, Instagram got Reels, which ruined an already ruined app – look, if I wanted to Tik Tok, I’d download Tik Tok. I do not want to make Reels, I do not want to see Reels, I want pictures! Specifically, pictures from those I follow! I shouldn’t have to turn on notifications – I should be able to open up Instagram and see, right there, posts from those I’ve followed.

I’m not against the hustle – get the bag. And I daresay most people do not mind when sites monetize to an extent – after all, we get to use the service free of charge.

But Instagram sucks now and Facebook is at fault. It might as well be called ADstagram. Mark Capitalistberg and his goonies took an arrow and put it right through the heart of Instagram, making is borderline unusable. I see more ADs than posts from people I follow.

And it stinks, because Instagram use to be pretty cool. I could see pictures of cats, mountains, tree, babies, or whatever else the peeps I followed posted.

But alas, all good things must be ruined by human greed.

I find myself posting less and less as the days go one, opening the app less and less too; sometimes, I’ll even delete the app entirely and not think about it for a few weeks. Why? Because all I see are ADs. ADs here, ADs there, ADs everywhere.

Anyway, Instagram is dead and Facebook has killed her.