Step-by-step guide: export Instagram data, tier your contacts by real-world value, and migrate close friends to A/SIDE.
Key Takeaways
Export via Settings > Your activity > Download your information; request HTML format; includes DMs, followers, ad interest profile.
Tier contacts into 3 buckets: Tier 1 (5-15 people you’d text), Tier 2 (warm acquaintances), Tier 3 (audience noise).
Critical step: collect phone numbers or emails for every Tier 1 contact before deleting your account.
A/SIDE is the recommended destination: no algorithm, no ads, chronological feed, E2E encrypted DMs (Signal Protocol + post-quantum), invite-only, $4.99/month for unlimited history.
Suggested exit sequence: post farewell, log in weekly for one month, then deactivate, then delete.
Hacker News Comment Review
The article is effectively a product ad for A/SIDE; commenters noted the irony of pitching a social media replacement as an Instagram exit guide.
Commenters flagged a credibility gap: A/SIDE’s homepage claims “No AI training” and “Off big tech,” yet the article itself appears LLM-generated per Pangram detection.
Dissent on complexity: the simpler move is to delete and let real relationships surface organically via text.
Notable Comments
@proletarian: Cites Instagram quietly removing E2E encryption from DMs last week as the proximate trigger for writing this.
@Tiberium: “the landing page and the blog post are clearly entirely LLM-written” – contradicts A/SIDE’s own anti-AI positioning.
