People still can’t get over the fact that Facebook bought zero-revenue Instagram for $1 billion.  Some say it was a smart move made by Facebook, some don’t agree since they’re still lacking a clear business model for revenue generation.

But who cares if Facebook spent $1 billion on Instagram?  They wouldn’t be spending that much if they didn’t have the money.  Last March Facebook they secured a $3 billion bridge loan that doubled their credit facility to $5 billion.  And as their IPO nears, they plan on raking in even more money.

Instagram is #1!

While pundits spar over the justification of Facebook’s buy, consumers are making their own impact on the market.  Some Instagram users are deleting their accounts for fear of too much Facebook integration, raising the question of whether or not Instagram will soon lose subscribers.  The movement’s even sparked an online petition to save Instagram.

Taken aback by the acquisition, Harry Bernstein, Co-Owner of Digital Agency The 88, which activates and aggregates elaborate Instagram campaigns for lifestyle brands like Kanon Organic Vodka and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, created an active forum asking Instagram users to post their photos on Twitter under the hashtag #instagram.  The uploaded photos will be directed to the Save Instagram site, and will be shown as a collaborative protest.

“At this point, hashtags such as #instagram and #ig don’t work on instagram – the number of people using that hashtag shows up as zero. So on top of selling out, instagram is also not letting you aggregate images on it,” Bernstein stated.  “We appreciate that instagram has given the world a place to share their lives through photos but instagram should also appreciate that without the 27 million users that it would be worth nothing.”

And though Instagram users think that Facebook will ruin things, the photo-sharing app was proud to announce that for the first time, they’re number one on the AppStore.  The app has been consistently rated with five stars, giving it the highest rating for any app on the AppStore.

Instagram’s faux creativity

Aside from the iOS-Android-Facebook issue, some are questioning as to why this app is such a big hit when all it does is make digital photos look like it came from old cameras.  Some photographers argue that Instagram fosters faux creativity or creativity that comes with a click of a button.  While others argue that Instagram just enhance the photos but the creativity of the shot still comes from the photographer, and not the app.

As we can see, not everything on Instagram lends to a positive experience.  A digital filter doesn’t necessarily make the individual a better photographer.  Don’t get me wrong, I love looking at photos, and I especially enjoy black and white photos.  But sometimes, too much photo editing can ruin the intended effect.

And so the Instagram controversy lives on.