Except I was prompted to create an account no less than like 2-3 times in the 2-3 times I opened Instagram after it launched. It’s not automatic but it is damn near two step enrollment. I’d like to see ”active users” two weeks/months from now after the enrollment storm passes to see who actually stayed with it.
I loved Reddit and Twitter until they made it clear users were not the focus anymore. I’d never lock myself behind those systems again. I made that mistake twice. I use beautifully built 3rd party apps that were cut off at the kneecaps with no warning. I’m here to stay. For some, that meta data mine will be all they want / need, so good for them?
I literally had someone request to “follow me” who then immediately text me and ask — what is this thing that it just put me on.
They are definitely inflating numbers and making it hard to drop user count because deleting threads deletes your Instagram too.
You’ll only ever hear about total users now never “active” would be my guess which after a few days or weeks will be significantly less than the “10 million” that supposedly “signed up”