Buh-bye, Instagram.

I’m on a few social media platforms – besides my blog, I can be found on Facebook. I’m on Twitter (albeit in private mode so long as Twitter’s current ownership is still active). I’m on reddit (that platform for which I have a love-hate relationship). My photos exist on flickr, and I’m also on the independent site Mastodon (at chuckthewriter@mstdn.social).

I was on Instagram for a while. It was sort of a second-level social media platform for me … I’d post some pictures there once in a while, nothing major – I had some friends on there, but nobody I didn’t already have on other social media platforms. If I had five options to say something online, Instagram would be my sixth option.

Not as of yesterday, though.

Last Sunday, when I went to check Instagram, I found that my account was suspended.

I don’t know why it was suspended. I contacted Instagram and went through their locked-out-account appeal process.

This morning, I checked Instagram again. My account was permanently deleted and I was not allowed to appeal.

What???

I’m trying to think of what was the last post I might have sent that would have caused this. A photo of a covered bridge? An image of a train crossing a river?

Or was my account hacked and Instagram simply nuked it to keep the compromised account from asking my 35 followers to buy cryptocoins or NFT’s?

Or the other possibility – and this is me thinking conspiracy theory – someone decided they didn’t like me, and went to Instagram and claimed I was a community violator or something like that. And Instagram, who has nothing better to do with their time, simply locked down the account.

The thing is … I could cry and moan and kvetch about it. I could say how terrible this is, I could scream to the high heavens about how I was violated or dismissed without even so much as a full explanation.

But honestly … I don’t give a shit.

I mean, honestly, what has Instagram ever done for me to make me want to remain engaged with it? It’s not like I ever needed Instagram’s help or outreach. I didn’t need 100,000 followers to anything I do.

It really doesn’t bother me. One less app on my web browser, one less app on my phone. I’m good with that.

And let’s face it – customer service for Instagram is about as effective as talking to a head of cabbage and expecting the head of cabbage to talk back. It ain’t happening, boyo.

Now the question is … would I make another Instagram account and try to get back on the platform?

Nah. Why should I waste my time returning to a social media platform that I barely used when I was originally on it?

Or as the old saying goes, “How can I ever miss you when I don’t even remember why I know you?”