Facebook vs Instagram

The genius of Mark Zuckerberg has succeeded in finding the formula of making a social media site so addictive that people cannot help but continue to sign on.  Many sites have challenged the fame of Facebook, including the quite popular social media site, Twitter. However, there seems to be a new challenger on the horizon: the picture-sharing app, Instagram.
For the new app, all a user has to do is take a photo and friends can see it in an instant. The attraction is that it is simpler to use and understand than Facebook since it does not have the status updates, detailed profiles, groups, and other complex features that Facebook includes. Plus, with a touch of a button the picture can be uploaded to both Facebook and Twitter accounts. 
While Instagram had a warm welcome with its arrival in 2010, not everyone is completely supportive of the way it functions. Since Instagram is limited to people who can buy the app on an apple product, it is already at a disadvantage to Facebook.
“I wish Instagram was a website because since I don’t have an iPhone I cannot use it,” freshman Kensi Almeida said.
According to tomashable.com each American Facebook user spends an average of 421 minutes on Facebook per month. However, Facebook users are also beginning to notice negative aspects of the site.

“The constant change of how Facebook is laid out is really annoying,” senior Maya Bond said.

Strangely, these social media sites are not really in a competition. According to dealbook.nytimes.com, “In its largest acquisition to date” Facebook purchased Instagram “for about $1 billion in cash and stock”. No matter which social media ends first, either Facebook or Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg will still be making money. Perhaps the real question is not if Facebook will ever be defeated, but rather if Mark Zuckerberg will ever lose his reign as the king of social media.
 
– Allison Davis, Layout Editor