Your reply is sort of the standard response to criticism for any platform, appearing to defend reddit, facebook, etc.

It doesn't address the essence of the criticism though, that there is a way that is easiest to use a platform, and that way is followed by the majority of people.

If someone says caltrops are dangerous, and you reply with the idea that they can be used to clean gunk from under fingernails, you have not added anything to the conversation.

As I mentioned, I enjoy the static photos on Instagram; occasionally I try to get into following other folks' stories, but mostly I get annoyed by the captivity of them. I follow about half friends and half artists or other fun-to-look-at stuff (cars, pets, whatever).

I did a story once; I was on solo vacation and spending the day biking through Austrian wine country. It was actually pretty fun to play with, more so than I expected. I was also learning along the way, making mistakes, learning from them. That was the best part. It's not something I'd normally want to subject myself to; a quick snapshot is all i can usually be bothered with. But I can see why they're enjoyable to make if you have nothing else going on.