Stop Tweeting Instagram Links

I CANNOT REMAIN SILENT ON THIS ISSUE ANY LONGER.

















instagram.com











Look. I don't want to tell anyone how to live their lives or what to do. The internet should be a fun space where you get to do whatever you want. Post as many baby photos on Facebook as you want. Watch amputee porn. Write racist YouTube comments. Do whatever makes you happy. This is YOUR internet. Twitter is dumb and should be fun and don't think too much about it.

But allow me to make one suggestion that might make it more fun for all of us.

STOP TWEETING INSTAGRAM LINKS.

They just don't work. If you really feel your Twitter followers NEED to see this photo, just upload it separately through Twitter so it's easy to see. Be respectful of your followers' time. Don't send them on wild goosechases to see a picture of a pretty sunset.

Don't do this because I said so or because it's some rule. Do it because you want to be nice to people who are giving you the gift of their attention.

Here is why:

















They don't display on Twitter for web



There WAS a time where Instagrams would display in-line on Twitter for web. But in 2012, Facebook bought Instagram, and shortly after, Instagram disabled photo integration with Twitter. Twitter built its own filters for its own photo tool and pulled its friend API from Instagram so that you can't find your Twitter friends on Instagram anymore.

All this catfighting between the two companies means that they simply don't work together anymore.














UGH WHAT IS WORSE THAN HAVING TO OPEN A LINK IN A NEW BROWSER? Literally kill me 1,000 times.

And even worse, it opens up in the browser version, not actually the Instagram app. Although you can view the image just fine, it's clunky if you want to use other features, like view the user's other photos, or reply @ another user in the comments.

It somehow seems like it always takes five seconds longer to load than other external sites, making it even more maddening when it's a boring photo that instead of just scrolling past in the app, you've invested all this time trying to open through Twitter.







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