The popular bot site designed to help users gain Instagram followers has been shut down. The site made its announcement that Instagram has requested Instagress to shut down. 

Instagress was formerly one of the most popular sites of its kind, existing to provide users with additional followers and likes. It was founded in 2013, and had gained quite a following.

It is said to have been user friendly and less expensive than some of its competitors. The company’s tagline was “Get social media superpowers,” though the Instagress webpage now only states “we are all very sad but it looks like there is nothing we can do at the moment.”

There are certainly two sides to the argument. One group finds the idea of ‘buying’ fame on Instagram to defeat the purpose, and are happy to see the bot site put to rest. Others are already brainstorming new and different ideas to make bots bigger and better than ever. 

A Bloomberg report stated the sites exist in an “ethical gray area,” that they are not explicitly banned but may counteract the point of the popular social media platform. As stated by the founder of Three Letters marketing agency, Nik Speller, “there are many more of these bot services still live.”

It is yet to be seen whether Instagram will take a stand against the others, or whether developers will build an entirely new way for users to build a follower base. 

Either way, the safest bet is to rely on your friends to follow you and leave it at that - but if you are interested in gaining a follower base, your options are out there.