But yesterday something happened to really wind people up:
Instagram changed its terms and conditions.
If ever you want to get the digital generation talking the best thing to do is actually make them read the t's & c's for an app that they would normally just blindly accept.
The problem that people found with yesterdays change was the line in the reviewed arrangement that suggested Instagram had the right to use your photos without your permission. It said that the company could sell on your photos for use in advertisements and you didn't need to be told. This made people cross. Thousands of angry hipsters started demanding an explanation and threatened to quit the app if things weren't put right. #Instagram and #socialmedia were trending worldwide on Twitter throughout the day with everyone up in arms about this apparent invasion of privacy. Even my Facebook newsfeed, a place where often the most interesting thing I read is that another friend has given birth to yet another baby, was full of complaints and warnings on how my copyright was about to completely violated. I was being told I should leave, told I should find another app to take pictures of my latte with, told I should be furious.
But I wasn't furious. I wasn't even a little bit perturbed. In fact a lot of people weren't as annoyed as the general online public were suggesting they should be.
There are reasons behind this and I'm going to list these reasons now in the hope that if you are one of the annoyed or concerned people this might put your mind to rest.
Reason 1: You won't have read the T's and C's of anything else. They're there to cover every possibility, they're put in just in case. If Facebook says 'the company has the right to use your soul for whatever purposes it sees fit,' it probably won't actually do it, it just wants to have the option.
Reason 2: No-one is trying to con you. If Instagram was being sneaky, as a lot of people decided they were, then they would have hidden that particular clause in the midst of a lot of other jargon. They would have written it better. As it was they told you exactly what was going to happen. They were very honest.
Reason 3: Facebook already does the exact thing people are getting so angry about. If you upload a picture to Facebook then that picture is effectively no longer yours. Zuckerberg can use it however he likes. I remember when this was revealed and a lot of people threatened to quit that site too. Yet still I see you, uploading pictures of your cat, you liar.
Reason 4: The T's and C's haven't really changed, they're just worded differently. If any of you had read the previous conditions of using Instagram you would have noticed that they could use your pictures anyway. They weren't and still aren't claiming ownership, but if they saw something they liked then they could definitely borrow it.
Reason 5: How the hell else do you expect a business to keep running? Instagram is a free app. You don't have to pay to download it, you don't have to pay to use it. The only money it earns is the interest on its massive £1 billion pay cheque from Facebook. Obviously they have to make themselves profitable and obviously that was going to involve advertising. It's either that or they lost all their money, could no longer provide the service and people ended up complaining that they hadn't looked after their business well enough.
Reason 6: Your pictures are awful. Alright, this is a bit of a joke reason, but the point is still there. Your pictures of your pets, of your cappuccinos, of the sunset, of the... oh no wait, that's all you have, they aren't going to be sold off. No-one will want to use them. You're safe from the corporations ruining your unique image.
What I think their new terms will really end up meaning, and why I think it won't really affect you in any serious way, is that they'll offer a similar service to their owners Facebook. You'll be able to promote pictures, you'll be able to increase their visibility by parting with some cash, if you like a branded page your images might occasionally appear next to them on the Instagram homepage. You'll barely notice it, you'll forget about it after a week or two, it'll all be okay.
If that still hasn't calmed you down then here's the official Instagram statement explaining how they're not the Devil. Enjoy.