I am super happy for the entire Instagram team. Being acquired by Facebook is obviously a huge deal for them, and it’s a brilliant exit strategy.
From a users perspective though, I’m sure many see doom and gloom in the future — even though those fears may have been quelled by Kevin Systrom when he claimed development will continue as per usual.
One would be naive to think that we won’t see some aspect of Facebook touch Instagram’s app. I’m sure Facebook connect will be added as an optional authentication system for logging in or creating a new account. I don’t see this as a bad thing, as Facebook has already become ubiquitous. So long as new users can continue to create accounts without having to own a Facebook account, I think we’ll be fine.
Let’s also remember that as users of a free web service, we don’t have a lot of say in what happens when we’re not paying for it. On that note, I’m not cancelling my Instagram account unless the app itself turns to shit in the coming months.
As a precaution, I’ve backed up my entire Instagram photo library to Dropbox. I recommend InstaBackup which is a great native Mac app for exporting your photos from Instagram.