I'm not a heavy Instagram user, but I like the author's assertion. Instagram is so popular because of what it isn't - it's not another photo manager. It's just a totally frictionless way to share photos.
I didn't put it in the blog post for fear of making it too long, but one example of where "no choice" is a better option is in the image format: Instagram eliminates the question of "Should I shoot this in portrait or in landscape?".
That's a "feature"? It's probably the most aggravating characteristic of Instagram for me, and it's the reason I don't take all my pics with the app...
And simultaneously eliminates the "oh this photo is in portrait/landscape I have to rotate my phone to view it properly."
err..they removed potrait/landscape choice and added a gazillion filters to choose from.
Agreed. The square aspect ratio is actually very nice for many types of photos;wish my D7000 had a setting for that.
And free (which goes in like with your frictionless comment).
It's not "free". Free is unsustainable for a product like this. Case in point: independent Instagram no long exists.
Turns out that unlike FOSS software that runs on your device, apps which have a server-based component can only be offered as "Free as in Beer" & not "Free as in Freedom" services.