kevin systrom instagramKevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram

Two days ago, Instagram tweaked its Terms of Service.  People went bananas.

Not much was changed, but one line was striking:


It sounded like Instagram was telling users it would make money off their photos without giving them a cent. It also sounded like Instagram would use people's photos however they liked without asking for permission first.

Instagram has since acknowledged its royal PR screw up and has agreed to modify some of the new language in the TOS. Kevin Systrom, Instagram's CEO, explained: "It is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear."

In the meantime, celebrities like 90's sitcom star Tiffani Amber Thiessen and big brands like National Geographic have sworn off the photo sharing mobile app.

But what's truly amazing about all of this is how much people care about the future of Instagram. They care so much, that they actually bothered to read the company's terms of service in their entirety.

When was the last time anyone read all that fine print? It's usually unbearable legal jargon that people accept without question.

But people care so much about Instagram, they bothered to read it all line by line and rebel.

If the past few days says anything about Kevin Systrom's company, it certainly isn't that it's screwed or that Mark Zuckerberg is ruining it. It shows how strong the brand is, and how passionate users are about the service. Users aren't going to go anywhere; they love Instagram too much.

It's a sign that Instagram will be around for a very long time.