Instagram 'Implicated' In Teen Suicides As It Prepares To Merge With Facebook

“There’s no doubt that Instagram played a part in Molly’s death.” The words of a father grieving his teenage daughter’s suicide, published today in an interview with the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper, will carry loud and clear all the way to Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, California. The specifics here, as with other similar cases, represent a family tragedy. For social media in general, and Facebook in particular, the question now is how will they respond.

This comes as the news breaks that Facebook plans to integrate Instagram (and WhatsApp) much more tightly with its core, enabling users across all three platforms to share messages and information more easily - and of course to continue to leverage the advertising power of the brands and their unrivaled data and reach. Facebook is under immense pressure following criticism from many quarters for data exploitation, lack of privacy controls, information security and dubious data trading. This has serious implications for the glossy world of Instagram and its influencers, notwithstanding the tragic accusations now being leveled.

Facebook Takes Control

It’s notable that until now, Instagram has managed to remain healthily detached from the issues that have plagued Facebook over the last twelve months. Instagram revenue has soared towards double-digit billions as it leverages the power of Facebook’s ad platform, albeit there may be a knock-on from ads being pulled from Facebook in light of its recent troubles.

That said, the expectation from many is that Instagram is set to become the dominant growth driver within Facebook, accounting for the majority of its ad revenues. More than 1 billion active monthly users. More than 4 billion daily ‘likes’. And brands generating tenfold the engagement on Instagram over Facebook. These are the stats that matter in the world of social media advertising.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, of course, and there were potential warning signs when Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger quit the social media giant last year. The implication was that this was prompted by the same loss of autonomy that prompted WhatsApp’s founders to do the same. But that hasn’t yet stalled growth or taken the filtered gloss from the photo platform.
Source: https://www.forbes.com

Tags :

Share this news on:

Previous Story

Trending Topics

Archive