{"slug": "instagram", "name": "Instagram", "category": "communication", "category_name": "Email and chat", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 26, "warners": 15, "score": -8.211, "rising": 1.35, "first": "2025-11-05", "latest": "2026-10-31", "why": "The major benefit of Instagram, for me, is that it allows me to maintain relationships with people I am unable to physically see for long periods.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 7, "compare": 0, "warn": 15}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "The major benefit of Instagram, for me, is that it allows me to maintain relationships with people I am unable to physically see for long periods.", "icon": true, "domain": "instagram.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.instagram.com", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Instagram"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 788527857, "item_id": 49282991, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49282991", "by": "stinos", "date": "2026-08-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "there's also https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following which does something similar on Instagram.", "excerpt": "you realize that the only way to not get served ads on Facebook -- and thereby not benefit the company itself -- is to get rid of it completely You're probably right when it comes to benefiting the company, but technically - at least for me - using only https://www.facebook.com/?sk=h_chr means no ads/sponsored/whatever. Only the posts I actually want to see, and chronologically so easy to continue where you left off.", "context": "", "use_case": "following-only feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook ads are so hard to block that uBlock Origin stopped filtering them"}, {"id": 788276304, "item_id": 49267269, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49267269", "by": "slopinthebag", "date": "2026-08-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My socials (FB(not much)/Insta/TikTok) have fantastic algorithms, I they uplift my mood", "excerpt": "My socials (FB(not much)/Insta/TikTok) have fantastic algorithms, I they uplift my mood, have been responsible for positive changes in my mindset and life, etc. When I used X or bluesky or Reddit they have a noticeable negative impact on my mental state. Hackernews is 50/50. So I think social media which is content/image based can be more positive than the discussion based media. However we're getting more and more A", "context": "", "use_case": "social media feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app"}, {"id": 766686352, "item_id": 47917897, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47917897", "by": "petesergeant", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The major benefit of Instagram, for me, is that it allows me to maintain relationships with people I am unable to physically see for long periods.", "excerpt": "I love the idea generally of creating a social network that's meant to not suck, but the whole tapping phones thing is bad. The major benefit of Instagram, for me, is that it allows me to maintain relationships with people I am unable to physically see for long periods. I don't need social media to stay in touch with people I am physically present with, I need it for bridging distances.", "context": "", "use_case": "staying in touch with distant friends", "switched_from": "", "story": "I Bought Friendster for $30k \u2013 Here's What I'm Doing with It"}, {"id": 766110592, "item_id": 47881912, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47881912", "by": "thot_experiment", "date": "2026-04-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Instagram is probably my most used one these days and I love seeing my friend's stories", "excerpt": "I don't know if I'm crazy but I think social media is pretty okay at the like, core building and enhancing social networks thing. Instagram is probably my most used one these days and I love seeing my friend's stories and I don't think I've parsed more than a handful of ads in the last 2 or 3 years that I've been an active user, probably a few tens of hours wasted with dumb reels, not a bad cost at all imo. I have pr", "context": "", "use_case": "following friends", "switched_from": "", "story": "Using the internet like it's 1999"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 802782032, "item_id": 50173877, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50173877", "by": "kelnos", "date": "2026-10-20", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Instagram is a garbage platform now, too.", "excerpt": "Instagram is a garbage platform now, too. I used it back when it was just a feed of the people I follow. Every few months I'll click an Instagram link sent to me by someone else, and then I'll check my feed out of morbid curiosity, and it's 70% promoted/recommended posts from people I don't know. Glad I don't spend time there anymore either.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook Pages require paid subscription to post more than two links per month"}, {"id": 794015344, "item_id": 49625959, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49625959", "by": "nellophonic", "date": "2026-09-09", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I've now uploaded my drivers licence, a photo of my passport and still apparently that's not good enough for them.", "excerpt": "Funny you should say that. I'm not a big Instagram user, but have had an account for years. The company I work for has just started an Instagram campaign, and asked anyone who wanted to, to check out their campaign and give it a like. I did so, and a minute later received this email: \"Your Instagram account has been suspended. This is because your account, or activity on it, doesn't follow our Community Standards on ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads"}, {"id": 793746272, "item_id": 49609142, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49609142", "by": "itake", "date": "2026-09-08", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I would love to delete Instagram, but I don\u2019t know how to stay connected with the people I meet any other way.", "excerpt": "It isn\u2019t an alternative to Instagram, it\u2019s a Safari extension for instagram.com. I would love to delete Instagram, but I don\u2019t know how to stay connected with the people I meet any other way. Whatsapp lacks stories, which organically rekindle conversations. I\u2019m done with LinkedIn. Fb is too difficult to find people since it lacks usernames and isolate profiles, geographically", "context": "", "use_case": "staying connected", "switched_from": "", "story": "Logistics of Restraint"}, {"id": 793597185, "item_id": 49599824, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599824", "by": "nunez", "date": "2026-09-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "All of those accounts have been deleted within the last three years.", "excerpt": "I have no idea how I didn't get sucked into doomscroll culture. Facebook was the center of my life back in college (2005-2009) and for a few years after graduating. What is now my diary started its life in Facebook Notes! I had Snapchat and Instagram accounts when those came out and used MySpace and even Friendster (a bit) prior. All of those accounts have been deleted within the last three years. Aside from me arriv", "context": "", "use_case": "social media", "switched_from": "", "story": "De-Brainrot Vacations"}]}], "who": [{"by": "exhumet", "context": "photographer", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49271863", "date": "2026-08-12"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["social media", "sharing pics with friends", "social media, relevant ads", "staying connected", "following-only feed", "responding to friends"], "compared": [{"slug": "facebook", "name": "Facebook", "co": 7, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "x-twitter", "name": "X (Twitter)", "co": 6, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "tiktok", "name": "TikTok", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "linkedin", "name": "LinkedIn", "co": 2, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "bluesky", "name": "Bluesky", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "youtube", "name": "YouTube", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49269818", "title": "Facebook is paying controversial creators to produce rage-bait content", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50313661", "title": "Digital minimalism", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50167536", "title": "Facebook Pages require paid subscription to post more than two links per month", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49662990", "title": "I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49624856", "title": "How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49608608", "title": "Logistics of Restraint", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"warn": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"warn": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-05": {"warn": 2}, "2026-06": {"warn": 1}, "2026-07": {"warn": 4}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 4, "warn": 2}, "2026-09": {"warn": 3, "neutral": 1}, "2026-10": {"warn": 1, "neutral": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 805097137, "item_id": 50318571, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318571", "by": "insane_dreamer", "date": "2026-10-31", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I still use it to share pics with friends/family", "excerpt": "I was a heavy Twitter user since its early years. 6-7 years ago I started trying to cut back on it because it was just consuming too much of my time, which was impacting me negatively, but found it really hard--it's addictive. When Elon took it over I decided to go cold turkey and delete my account altogether so I couldn't go back. Best decision ever. I have twinges where I miss it, but I'm much better off without it", "context": "", "use_case": "sharing pics with friends", "switched_from": "", "story": "Digital minimalism"}, {"id": 802782032, "item_id": 50173877, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50173877", "by": "kelnos", "date": "2026-10-20", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Instagram is a garbage platform now, too.", "excerpt": "Instagram is a garbage platform now, too. I used it back when it was just a feed of the people I follow. Every few months I'll click an Instagram link sent to me by someone else, and then I'll check my feed out of morbid curiosity, and it's 70% promoted/recommended posts from people I don't know. Glad I don't spend time there anymore either.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook Pages require paid subscription to post more than two links per month"}, {"id": 794758000, "item_id": 49672375, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49672375", "by": "deaux", "date": "2026-09-12", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Until last year I used Instagram and most of the ads I got were actually relevant.", "excerpt": "I wonder if this depends a lot on location? Or a Facebook thing rather than Meta-wide, though I think they don't actually let you distinguish when running ads? Until last year I used Instagram and most of the ads I got were actually relevant. Zero scams, mostly local businesses. If I'd been visiting pages about home decoration I'd get local furniture shops and so forth. Google ads were - and are - the opposite for me", "context": "", "use_case": "social media, relevant ads", "switched_from": "", "story": "I spent $220 on Google app ads and 60% of the installs were robots"}, {"id": 794015344, "item_id": 49625959, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49625959", "by": "nellophonic", "date": "2026-09-09", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I've now uploaded my drivers licence, a photo of my passport and still apparently that's not good enough for them.", "excerpt": "Funny you should say that. I'm not a big Instagram user, but have had an account for years. The company I work for has just started an Instagram campaign, and asked anyone who wanted to, to check out their campaign and give it a like. I did so, and a minute later received this email: \"Your Instagram account has been suspended. This is because your account, or activity on it, doesn't follow our Community Standards on ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads"}, {"id": 793746272, "item_id": 49609142, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49609142", "by": "itake", "date": "2026-09-08", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I would love to delete Instagram, but I don\u2019t know how to stay connected with the people I meet any other way.", "excerpt": "It isn\u2019t an alternative to Instagram, it\u2019s a Safari extension for instagram.com. I would love to delete Instagram, but I don\u2019t know how to stay connected with the people I meet any other way. Whatsapp lacks stories, which organically rekindle conversations. I\u2019m done with LinkedIn. Fb is too difficult to find people since it lacks usernames and isolate profiles, geographically", "context": "", "use_case": "staying connected", "switched_from": "", "story": "Logistics of Restraint"}, {"id": 793597185, "item_id": 49599824, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49599824", "by": "nunez", "date": "2026-09-07", "stance": "warn", "quote": "All of those accounts have been deleted within the last three years.", "excerpt": "I have no idea how I didn't get sucked into doomscroll culture. Facebook was the center of my life back in college (2005-2009) and for a few years after graduating. What is now my diary started its life in Facebook Notes! I had Snapchat and Instagram accounts when those came out and used MySpace and even Friendster (a bit) prior. All of those accounts have been deleted within the last three years. Aside from me arriv", "context": "", "use_case": "social media", "switched_from": "", "story": "De-Brainrot Vacations"}, {"id": 789937984, "item_id": 49371124, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49371124", "by": "torh", "date": "2026-08-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Instagram is a weak spot where I have had to set the phone to give me just 10 minutes per day", "excerpt": "It's a long time since I used Facebook on a regular basis, but Instagram is a weak spot where I have had to set the phone to give me just 10 minutes per day, then shut it off. Now I can go days without opening the app, and I usually manage to exit before the time is up. I can highly recommend the book \"Carless People\" by Sarah Wynn-Williams if you want to know just how bad it really is/was. Just remember that this is", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Zuckerberg encouraged growth over child safety, ex-Meta executive testifies"}, {"id": 789721762, "item_id": 49357610, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49357610", "by": "frabcus", "date": "2026-08-18", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Instagram and TikTok are vacuous and useless to me", "excerpt": "Yep - some emotional core of my being (not rational) hates ML recommendations. I'm a happy paid user of Spotify and just ignore the recommendations (I'm not looking at a screen), and I use YouTube heavily with a browser plugin that hides recommendations (which kills the end of video loop). I get recommendations from people, and use the products for curation, bookmarking and subscriptions. They're good. Whereas Instag", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Meta's blockbuster trial draws parallels to big tobacco"}, {"id": 788527857, "item_id": 49282991, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49282991", "by": "stinos", "date": "2026-08-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "there's also https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following which does something similar on Instagram.", "excerpt": "you realize that the only way to not get served ads on Facebook -- and thereby not benefit the company itself -- is to get rid of it completely You're probably right when it comes to benefiting the company, but technically - at least for me - using only https://www.facebook.com/?sk=h_chr means no ads/sponsored/whatever. Only the posts I actually want to see, and chronologically so easy to continue where you left off.", "context": "", "use_case": "following-only feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook ads are so hard to block that uBlock Origin stopped filtering them"}, {"id": 788359584, "item_id": 49272474, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49272474", "by": "AstralSerenity", "date": "2026-08-12", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Instagram on Android because it's heavily modified and stripped to its bare essentials just for responding to friends.", "excerpt": "I use Instagram on Android because it's heavily modified and stripped to its bare essentials just for responding to friends. Prior to this I used the web app. If those two disappeared I would be done.", "context": "", "use_case": "responding to friends", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook is paying controversial creators to produce rage-bait content"}, {"id": 788353938, "item_id": 49272121, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49272121", "by": "game_the0ry", "date": "2026-08-12", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "X and insta are my go to social networks now.", "excerpt": "I used to have hi hopes for linkedin, that it would replace the resume and make the knowledge labor market more efficient. Instead, it became more like tiktok with the short form thirst trap girly boss \"content\" and hollow linkedin influencers posting ai slop. It just became more noise, but more \"corporate.\" X and insta are my go to social networks now.", "context": "", "use_case": "social networking", "switched_from": "LinkedIn", "story": "LinkedIn CringeBot 3000"}, {"id": 788349808, "item_id": 49271863, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49271863", "by": "exhumet", "date": "2026-08-12", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "its somewhere to share some pics with family and friends", "excerpt": "at the very least, insta is a semi cleaner and its the content itself thats abrasive... for now... thats the only other thing i use purely to keep up with family and i do photography so its somewhere to share some pics with family and friends.once you spend an entire night flagging everything you dont wanna see it becomes pretty clean. and then i put a 15 min timer on top of it. so it barely gets used but its semi we", "context": "photographer", "use_case": "sharing photos with family", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook is paying controversial creators to produce rage-bait content"}, {"id": 788328592, "item_id": 49270537, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49270537", "by": "basisword", "date": "2026-08-12", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "IG reels for me are largely funny videos, stuff I follow, and stuff I'm interested in.", "excerpt": "I use both IG and Twitter. IG reels for me are largely funny videos, stuff I follow, and stuff I'm interested in. On Twitter I only follow tech stuff and yet about 20% of the stuff in my 'recommended' feed is racist, violent, and stuff I have zero interest in. Even if you hit the 'non interested' button they continue to shove it down your throat.", "context": "", "use_case": "watching reels", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook is paying controversial creators to produce rage-bait content"}, {"id": 788276304, "item_id": 49267269, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49267269", "by": "slopinthebag", "date": "2026-08-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "My socials (FB(not much)/Insta/TikTok) have fantastic algorithms, I they uplift my mood", "excerpt": "My socials (FB(not much)/Insta/TikTok) have fantastic algorithms, I they uplift my mood, have been responsible for positive changes in my mindset and life, etc. When I used X or bluesky or Reddit they have a noticeable negative impact on my mental state. Hackernews is 50/50. So I think social media which is content/image based can be more positive than the discussion based media. However we're getting more and more A", "context": "", "use_case": "social media feed", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bluesky's active user base is shrinking as its focus expands beyond the app"}, {"id": 785870080, "item_id": 49116880, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49116880", "by": "mikeocool", "date": "2026-07-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "every time I opened it, I was looking at a stream of drivel designed to keep me scrolling.", "excerpt": "I used to quite like instagram when it was a good way to keep up with a well curated group of friends who would share occasional interesting photos (though even then it could end up being performative). But you\u2019re right, these days I\u2019ve largely stopped using after i realized every time I opened it, I was looking at a stream of drivel designed to keep me scrolling.", "context": "", "use_case": "social media", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google will expand age checks on Android worldwide till the end of the year"}, {"id": 782516272, "item_id": 48907267, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48907267", "by": "RIMR", "date": "2026-07-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "sites like Instagram and TikTok cater directly to pedophiles and do absolutely nothing about the predatory behavior", "excerpt": "This whole article just boils down to the argument \"If badly-behaved adults are allowed to have cameras, why shouldn't well-behaved children have access to for-profit social media platforms designed to addict them and feed them misinformation?\" It's complete nonsense. The conversation in the UK right now isn't about whether or not teenagers should be allowed to own cell phones; it's about whether they should be allow", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Kids (With Phones) Are Alright"}, {"id": 781785680, "item_id": 48861605, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48861605", "by": "psychoslave", "date": "2026-07-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I highly recommend not using Instagram.", "excerpt": "I highly recommend not using Instagram. Also ketamine I hear is bad for people brain. Stay safe. What happen when wanna-be-free-market interests have some lucrative addictive crap to sell, hmm? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "EU Commission: addictive design Instagram and Facebook in breach of the DSA"}, {"id": 780104240, "item_id": 48756515, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48756515", "by": "donatj", "date": "2026-07-01", "stance": "warn", "quote": "now there's nothing of my friends on there and I'll just spam and AI slop", "excerpt": "Does this hold true in the modern age though? I haven't seen a single thing I wanted to see on social media basically since COVID. It's all famous people, posturing, and things I never followed. Entirely crap I don't care about. At this point I open Facebook like once a day. I used to go on Instagram to see my friend's pictures, now there's nothing of my friends on there and I'll just spam and AI slop... All I want i", "context": "40-year-old non-gamer", "use_case": "seeing friends' pictures", "switched_from": "", "story": "Bring Back Crappy Forums"}, {"id": 777315872, "item_id": 48582242, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48582242", "by": "thefz", "date": "2026-06-18", "stance": "warn", "quote": "after 10 minutes I am nauseated by it", "excerpt": "> I don't believe this is a problem unique to smartphones. Yes, a smartphone with no social media pplication installed is as much dumb as a classic flip phone. The object itself is not the problem here. I am not a big social media user so I use mine mostly to check in with family and friends, listen to music, mapping, and tracking sports. On the rare occasions I use Instagram I just follow some athletes and share a c", "context": "not a big social media user", "use_case": "occasional social media", "switched_from": "", "story": "How to Become a Person After Smartphones Have Rotted Your Brain"}, {"id": 769755312, "item_id": 48109707, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48109707", "by": "ge96", "date": "2026-05-12", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Instagram is riddled with ads it immediately pisses me off so one reason I don't use it.", "excerpt": "I don't use those sites myself/not age group anyway. One thing Instagram is riddled with ads it immediately pisses me off so one reason I don't use it. I get the engagement aspect if you're trying to promote a product. Recently I stopped scrolling reddit/being logged in and watching YouTube videos. Since it's just endless... and it's crazy. It feels unsettling, I'm bored/antsy since I'm not doing something. So I've b", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "EU to crack down on TikTok, Instagram's 'addictive design' targeting kids"}, {"id": 768972225, "item_id": 48060764, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48060764", "by": "helsinkiandrew", "date": "2026-05-08", "stance": "warn", "quote": "The constant stream of mediocrity drove me away from Facebook (years ago) and then Instagram.", "excerpt": "> But respect the community, and only share what is truly relevant. Save the crayon pictures for your kitchen fridge. That highlights the problem - its not AI - it's the oversharing thats the issue. Many people have moved from \"Sharing whats unusual/interested/excited me\" to \"What can I share today\". The constant stream of mediocrity drove me away from Facebook (years ago) and then Instagram.", "context": "", "use_case": "social media", "switched_from": "", "story": "AI Slop Is Killing Online Communities"}, {"id": 766686352, "item_id": 47917897, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47917897", "by": "petesergeant", "date": "2026-04-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The major benefit of Instagram, for me, is that it allows me to maintain relationships with people I am unable to physically see for long periods.", "excerpt": "I love the idea generally of creating a social network that's meant to not suck, but the whole tapping phones thing is bad. The major benefit of Instagram, for me, is that it allows me to maintain relationships with people I am unable to physically see for long periods. I don't need social media to stay in touch with people I am physically present with, I need it for bridging distances.", "context": "", "use_case": "staying in touch with distant friends", "switched_from": "", "story": "I Bought Friendster for $30k \u2013 Here's What I'm Doing with It"}, {"id": 766110592, "item_id": 47881912, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47881912", "by": "thot_experiment", "date": "2026-04-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Instagram is probably my most used one these days and I love seeing my friend's stories", "excerpt": "I don't know if I'm crazy but I think social media is pretty okay at the like, core building and enhancing social networks thing. Instagram is probably my most used one these days and I love seeing my friend's stories and I don't think I've parsed more than a handful of ads in the last 2 or 3 years that I've been an active user, probably a few tens of hours wasted with dumb reels, not a bad cost at all imo. I have pr", "context": "", "use_case": "following friends", "switched_from": "", "story": "Using the internet like it's 1999"}, {"id": 756410449, "item_id": 47275653, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47275653", "by": "paride5745", "date": "2026-03-06", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use Instagram quite a bit (following F1 teams", "excerpt": "I am keeping Facebook just because of a couple of Groups. My timeline is completely useless, I have an endless stream of suggested post and ads, nothing relevant to me. Meta is supposed to know me, I use Instagram quite a bit (following F1 teams, some comedians and a bunch of tiktok-style content creators), but somehow this does not translate in targeting on FB, just generic targeting for my population type. I tried ", "context": "", "use_case": "following F1 teams and creators", "switched_from": "", "story": "Facebook is absolutely cooked"}, {"id": 746440209, "item_id": 46652513, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46652513", "by": "dashundchen", "date": "2026-01-16", "stance": "warn", "quote": "it was full of dark patterns meant to keep users scrolling.", "excerpt": "The only winning move is not to play. First I removed the Instagram app from my phone, because it was full of dark patterns meant to keep users scrolling. Endless reposted stories from people you follow, endless suggested posts when you ran out of posts from people you actually know, and then the slop bucket known as reels. I found myself sucked in too often. I used the web app version on my phone for a bit, which ha", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Slop Is Everywhere for Those with Eyes to See"}, {"id": 733169060, "item_id": 45823066, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45823066", "by": "unionjack22", "date": "2025-11-05", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I highly recommend dropping the dopaminergic doomloop apps like Reddit/Bluesky/X/tiktok/IG.", "excerpt": "If anyone wishes to use this study as a catalyst to shift one\u2019s attitude, then I highly recommend dropping the dopaminergic doomloop apps like Reddit/Bluesky/X/tiktok/IG. Your life will be better for it. Snapchat can stay\u2026for reasons.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Optimism associated with exceptional longevity (2019)"}]}