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Replied to Why you shouldn't link to Instagram anything anywhere by Jatan (Journal J)
I want to use the case of Instagram to highlight a larger point about how we can be mindful of which links we share on the Internet. Whether you’re a writer, a creator or simply sharing things on socials, a 'bad link' can affect your readers as well as the health of the open Web.

Jatan at Journal J wrote a good blog post back in 2021 against using “bad links” in blog posts. What does he mean by “bad link”? He explains:

While Instagram is one of the worst offenders of the open Web, there are many other platforms that also make it harder, if not impossible, for people to consume content without signing in.

Jatan describes links to social media silos which require the reader to sign into an account to read as bad links. I agree. Unless linking to Instagram, Linkedin, or the like is absolutely necessary (as in that is what you are citing/discussing and there is no alternative “open web” source), it should be avoided.