Instagram Direct Does Not Protect Recipient of Message

Over the past few years on Instagram, I would either have my Instagram photos reposted and credited by cafes and restaurants or get requests from various Instagram accounts to do shout outs for me.

I don't mind if my photos are posted with credit and would always appreciate the eateries for the kind mention and exposure.

It is the latter that I am more cautious about.

Of course sponsors from hair salon accounts and other beauty-related accounts are more than welcome to approach me. Unfortunately with the introduction of Instagram Direct, I would often see their messages a few months late and lose out on the offers since I do not get notifications from accounts I do not follow.

So which are the accounts I am cautious about? Babe-themed, hot Asian-themed, sexy ladies-themed and the likes are what I'm referring to.

Whenever I post work out selfies, I would have the above mentioned Instagram accounts asking my permission to repost my photo in the comments section.

Just looking at their account names and tapping into their accounts did not give me good vibes.

Sometimes, I would reply them that I do not want to be featured. At other times, I figured that no reply is a form of reply. They would respect me and not post my photos of course.

Some would delete their comments after a while and there would no longer be traceable links to them. For those that I replied before that, you would see that the accounts are not available but at least something I would always have their account names sealed in the comments.

Recently, the administrators of such accounts are reaching out via Instagram Direct. I guess that Instagram Direct is more personalized and professional. However, I soon realized that it is more for the privacy and to cover their digital tracks.

I thought that Instagram Direct works like email whereby whatever that the sender sends would be in my inbox.

I was mistaken.

Instagram Direct protects the sender and not the recipient. Instagram senders CAN DELETE their messages from recipients’ phones.

To quote from the link I've shared, Instagram Direct not only leaves the detonation button in the hands of the sender, but the act of deleting a photo interrupts the recipient’s viewing of the photo. This also means that it leaves the recipient no trace of the contents that the sender sends if a screenshot was not captured before the message is deleted. Even as you are reading the message, it could simply disappear if the sender deletes the message there and then.

I'm sure every one of us would experience the foolishness of accidentally sending an email or message and wishing we could undo it. Actual opportunities to undo a message are uncommon. Also quoting examples from the same link I've shared, Gmail offers a brief “undo” option for sent e-mails, for instance, and certain types of Microsoft Exchange server setups facilitate this. But with Internet messaging, once it is sent, it is out there.

Instagram Direct appeals to senders because they are in control of what they send.

All senders REJOICE!

However as a recipient, I got the short end of the stick.

One of my recent encounter was with a Singapore babe website. I will not be dropping any name but this "number one babes and lifestyle website" used their Instagram account of the same name to send me 3 direct messages over a few months.

It started off with this account following me and liking my photos. It then sent its first message saying that they love my photos and asking if I would like to be featured on their account.

At that time, their account had babes all right. But those babes look kinda unclassy and some shots look sleazy. Many of the girls look like underaged Ah Lians or mollers (local slang for models wannabe). Their answers to the mandatory questions for the photo caption like a short introduction of themselves and the type of men that attract them did not impress me at all.

To be fair, this sg babe account had been polite in their message. However, I did not want to be associated to their babe theme in such a manner and hence did not reply.

This sg babe account continued being my follower and would occasionally like my photos. Then came their second and third messages. It took me some time to realize that I had two unread messages from them, along with many other messages from people whom I'm not following as I do not get notifications for these.

This time I was "invited" to be featured and was given a direct link to a form. As usual, they were polite and wrote some niceties about how much they love my account, my photos, my style etc.

I sensed their sincerity and decided to QC their Instagram account once more. I also noticed that they have a website that looks pretty decent. Scrolling through their account, I found a lot more wholesome babes featured. There was even a pretty mother of two being featured.

I asked my hubby what he thought of this website and IG account, whether it is legit or sleazy and he thought that it looked pretty decent too. I gave him a background to this and made the decision to be featured on their Instagram page.

Upon checking out their feature form, I realised to my horror that the waiting time is 15 months! If they have so many people wanting to be featured on their own accord, why would they still have to reach out to Instagrammers personally? What did it meant to be invited by them?

I noticed the clause (see underlined in screenshot below) about skipping the queue and hence decided to reply their message via Instagram Direct about it. I had already typed out my answers to their mandatory questions for the caption and have decided to send the form once I get their positive reply.
I mean to be invited by them and having a favourable impression of them from their polite messages, wouldn't it be natural to expect a positive reply from them?

NO...




Here is my Instagram Direct reply to them:





I knew my message was read as indicated by the "Seen". Shortly after reading my message, I realised that I could no longer scroll up to see all their previous messages to me.

I thought there was an error, consulted Google and found out the truth about missing Instagram Direct messages: they had deleted their messages to me.

As if sparking a chain of reaction, they also deleted their comments on my photos and unfollowed me.

What did all of these mean?

Did one of their administrator make a mistake to feature me? Not once but thrice.

Was there a sudden disagreement among the administrators to reach out to me?

Perhaps they were offended by my message? Even if they were, it doesn't seem quite professional to handle it in such a manner.

Or are they simply trying to erase all digital evidence of them reaching out to me and made it such that I was the one approaching them to be featured?

The most likely deduction would be the last one. You noticed the parts I circled in the 1st screenshot:

Which photo will you choose from my profile for the feature?
Whichever photo we think you look the best in!

By submitting the form, you are giving them access to use any of your photo they deem fit! What they think you look best in may not be the photo which you think you look best in. You don't get to choose at all and yet you are giving them full power to use your photos.

All their actions after my reply to them DISGUSTS me as no credible Singapore's number one babe and lifestyle website and Instagram account would react in such a way. I wonder if they also did  the same thing to the many Instagrammers they had reached out to.

I regretted not taking screenshots of everything before they erased their digital trail and this happened because Instagram Direct does not protect the recipients.

This encounter which I've shared had not harmed me in any way but I'm sure any of you could see the possible dangers that Instagram Direct could pose to unsuspecting people.

What are your thoughts to Instagram Direct or anything Instagram? Have you any interesting encounters to share about unpleasant encounters on social media platforms? Has any Singaporean babe been approached by this account too?

Let's hear what you have to say in the comments section!

Singapore's One and Only Cat Museum

Late last year, I visited Singapore's one and only cat museum -- Lion City Kitty The Cat Museum, Muses and Mansion and boy oh boy was it a PURRFECT experience! All cat lovers would love this gem of a place nestled in a three-floor shophouse space along Purvis Street.

I had always wanted to visit a cat cafe when the first cat cafe hit the shores of Singapore followed by the sprouting of a few more. Then, the news came that one of the cafes had several of their cats dying under their care and hence I decided to put back any visits to cat cafes. 

When my gal pal Viv suggested visiting The Cat Museum in Singapore for our next outing, April and I were thrilled. April and I used to keep cats and we were surprised (read: ashamed) that there was even a Cat Museum in Singapore and a social enterprise to boot!

Unlike other cat cafes that have recently sprung up in Singapore, there are no food and drinks served at Lion City Kitty. Also, instead of paying hefty hourly rate to be in the company of kitties like in cat cafes, you only need to pay $9 for admission fee into the museum (free admission for children under 6 years old).

Lion City Kitty is a social enterprise founded by former Gold 90.5FM DJ Jessica Seet as a way to change Singaporeans’ attitude towards the cats we see on our streets as well as to create a genuine interest in them and their kitty heritage. Your $9 would go a long way to helping the kitties there.

I've been to Purvis Street a few times and had never once noticed the cat museum. Do look out for this sign and the narrow stairways that would lead you straight up to the 2nd level where your adventure with cats would begin!




Once you reach the 2nd floor, you have to remove your shoes and place them in the lockers provided. Have $1 or 50-cent coin handy for the lockers, which would be refunded when you collect your shoes.




While I was fumbling for my coin, one of the volunteers came out and told me it was actually alright not to put in any coin as there hadn't been any incidents of missing shoes. In other words, simply put your shoes in the locker without locking at your own risk... and take a meowfie if you want.




After putting my shoes into the locker, I made my way through a narrow space which led to the entrance of the museum proper. The cat manning the counter was skiving and sleeping at his desk. I was told his name is Channing Tatum. Of course there really was a human volunteer there manning the counter and I heard from her that Channing Tatum would usually be around that area.

There is a reason why the name of this museum is called  Lion City Kitty The Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion.

The 2nd floor which some people term as the first floor is the Museum which is decked out with cat paraphernalia and interesting nuggets of information about the history of cats from around the world along with cat-related artwork and photographs.

The 3rd floor known as Muses, is where all the rescued or abandoned cats are housed. Partnering the Cat Welfare Society, the cats that roam this cageless environment can be adopted by the public.

The 4th floor dubbed the Mansion is the purrfect name as this is where the Hollywood superstars cats live! The cats on this floor are the resident cats who have been given rather famous names - Brad (Pitt), Jen Jen (Jennifer Aniston), Angie (Angelina Jolie), Georgie (George Clooney), Sarah (Jessica Parker), Julia (Roberts), Usher, Shakira and Harry (Prince Harry) the cross-eyed mascot. You could see how they look like here by scrolling right down to the bottom of the page.

You could follow the numbers below to tour the place though I personally prefer taking the stairs throughout as I love reading the nuggets of information and kitty quotes, and admiring the cute decorations along the stairway.









2nd Floor Museum

The volunteer at the counter gave some general guidelines on the dos and don'ts while Channing continued to snooze.




You would have to very quickly close the gates behind you when you enter the various floors so as to prevent the kitties from running out. You would also have to sanitize your hands with the hand sanitizer provided at the gates of each level. In case you forget, the friendly volunteers would be around to remind you.




Besides learning more about cats and admiring the cat paraphernalia on this level, there are cats roaming the area too. The white cats here have got one blue and one green eye.




There was a scrawny little ginger cat which was always bullied by the white cats.




There was also a cool cat that reminded me of those thug life memes.




In between the flight of stairs to the next level was this cat that was caged up because he was sick and was kept away from the rest of the cats till he recovered.




3rd Floor Muses

This level was the most crowded of all levels when I visited on a Friday evening. I almost went crazy at this level because of the sheer number of cats available for adoption! I texted Viv and April my last text to inform them that I'm gonna immerse myself in this awesome Kitten Kindergarten and would just wait for them to locate me when they reached.




The Kitten Kindergarten is the favourite place for most people (and the most crowded) because who doesn't love little kittens right???




The kittens ranged in size from a large kitten/ small cat to the really tiny ones.




You have to be seated in the Kitten Kindergarten so as to avoid stepping on the tiny kittens and also to appear smaller and less intimidating to them.




There were kitty teasers every where for you to play with the kitties though sometimes, they prefer to play with every other object other than their toys.

Very soon, Viv and April arrived and knew exactly where to find me just like how this mama cat found her kitten.




This ginger kitten is the smallest kitten in the whole kindergarten.




See how small she was!




Sorry I don't mean to be rude and point. Don't look awayyyyyy.




Sweetie kitty!




I lurve the spots in the grey patches of this kitty. I seldom see such fur pattern in stray cats of Singapore. His name is Gandalf.




His other Lord of the Ring siblings had been adopted then except him. I heard from the volunteers that he was really too active and I could really tell! One minute he was in front of me and the next, he was at the door, and the next he had climbed all the way up to the top of the window!




Mean April remarked, "What? He is Gandalf? Gandalf is the elegant wizard right? This cat's behavior is more like Golum!"




Aiyo... So cute!




You really have to look out for kittens every where. I did not dare to lean against the wall after I felt a soft little pillow supporting my lower back when I did and then a moment later, the little pillow bounded onto my lap.




Viv's favourite kitty is the one sleeping in the basket of the cat condo. She also liked the one sleeping on the cowboy hat.




I told her that she found all the sleeping ones cute coz their eyes were cute little slits.




There were cats named after tea.

There were cats named after coffee.

There were cats named after celebrities.

I remembered all their names the next few days after the visit when I showed my sisters and other cat lovers the photos on my phone but have since forgotten their names as I'm typing this many moons later.




Somehow these sweeties looked like they were on a giant cake.




I feared for the kitties when I saw the multi power points but none of them seemed to even bother about the wires. Good kitties!




Trick or treat or me?




Still on the same floor but outside of the Kitten Kindergarten were the adult cats that had been rescued and up for adoption as well.

This black kitty had got a fluffy tail and white eyebrows that reminds me of my sis's kitty called Luke Oreo. 

Long lean kitty trying to paw some invisible thing on the wall. We guess it was a lizard behind the picture.




I love the tabby markings of this grey cat called Ariana Grande.

4th Floor Mansion

Dubbed The Mansion, this cosy area as mentioned earlier on houses the superstar resident cats. I personally found the cats at this level with a more diva disposition. Perhaps it was getting late too. Night had fallen by the time we were about to leave the 3rd floor for the 4th. Had the gals not reminded me that we still had a level to explore, I would have spent all the time at Muses.

Told you they were superstars. All the paparazzi went a-clicking.




Meet Angie the mainecoon abandoned by her breeder.
She has the typical Angelina Jolie's sour puss face.










Meet her sister Jen Jen, also a mainecoon of course abandoned by their breeder.




I have never seen a cat with such beautiful fur.




Look at that full furry tail!




Bimbotic April was so jealous of her hair. Lol! No wonder she is Jennifer Aniston!

She has more beautiful hair than any of us.




You have to meet the grumpy face Brad Pitt too! A British Shorthair and Persian mix, he is the only cat that was bought.




He is just so funny to look at.

We were told that we were really lucky to see Brad walking. Usually he would just be lying around.




Wanna know how big Braddie is? Look at my hand in relation.




Meet all the other cats on this level whom I have forgotten their names.

After having so many pictures of cats, we found a great backdrop for human shots. 

Presenting the humans who had great fun at Singapore's only cat museum.




I'm biased. I haven't visited any cat cafes before but this is definitely better than any other cat cafes. It is a social enterprise and is not for profit so the ticket fees and sale of products go into the maintenance of the cats.




Before you head down, do note the museum operation hours. This is not set up to be a commercial business and is not open daily to prevent stressing out/ overstimulating the cats.


Visiting Lion City Kitty The Cat Museum, Muses and Mansion?

Address
8 Purvis Street, #02-02 Singapore 188587

Contact
6336 2133
purr@thecatmuseum.com.sg

Museum Operation Hours
Thursdays: 4pm – 7pm
Fridays: 4pm – 7pm
Saturdays: 1pm – 3.30pm ; 4pm – 7pm
Sundays: 1pm – 3.30pm ; 4pm – 6.30pm
(CLOSED from 3.30pm – 4pm for Kitty Kat Nap)