It all started when Instagram discontinued its user's ability to support Twitter ecards, which no longer would allow Twitter users to be able to see Instagram images inside their Twitter stream. This was the first blow to all us Instagram lovers. It was when we first started looking for alternatives. Conveniently, Twitter introduced its own photo filters shortly after. They were alright, but most Instagram users stayed strong to the brand attempting to keep the Instagram-way-of-life going.
The next down turn was the announcement that Instagram would start selling your photos come January 16, 2013 - but this wasn't the final nail in the coffin. The big kahuna was the apology. Or rather, the lack of an actual apology inside their apology. Phrases like "we are better than you" or "my way of the highway" came to mind after reading it. It was a classic corporate non-apology, but it was describing their users as "confused" and then going on to describe what being business means (eureka! It means to make money!) , that really turned fans off.
If that wasn't enough to sink their boat, National Geographic announced it would be disabling its account (it had a whopping 650,000 followers) quickly afterward becoming a catalyst for major accounts following suit. Celebrities took to Twitter in outrage and began shutting down their accounts in the following days.
After all this damage, it will take a MAJOR positive PR push from Instagram to calm everyone down. The first they should do though is drop to their knees and beg Kim Kardashian to stay on board, because rumors of her dropping the app (she is their most followed user) have become the hottest news, and if she goes, they can expect her 5 million users to follow suit.