My Instagram tattoo studio hell will be a warning to all of us | Tech Reddy

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C

think back to last wednesday evening, 9pm to be exact. what did you do Maybe you’ve been curled up on the sofa reading a book, maybe you’ve stopped eating. Cherish the precious moments of leisure on the hamster wheel of a fast-moving world.

Well, not me. Instead, I found myself in a warehouse in Docklands, fighting back tears when a small, tattooed man in tights shouted at me and offered me £50 for joy. The most record-breaking “yes, that’s me: you’re probably wondering how I got here” movie moment.

Like all good movies, there were many steps leading to a bad ending. It all started with Instagram.

A few friends and I were looking to get matching tattoos and, like any respectable member of Gen Z, we were checking out artists on Instagram. The first red flag was that the artist we chose followed the alleged abuser Andrew Tate on Instagram (before he was banned for his “offensive” views), but I decided to ignore this. After all, I’m not looking to marry anyone.

So when I arrived at the tattoo parlor in Docklands the worst I could have hoped for was to laugh to myself as the man who poked me with a needle made fun of me. But it wasn’t like that. There is so much I could say about this person and this problem, it would be more than the inches of this post.

Anyway, long story short, he ended up running over three hours late, he didn’t apologize, and when I politely asked to reschedule the meeting as it was already past 9 p.m. Wednesday in – and I couldn’t help it – the Docklands, I was called and told I would lose my £50 deposit.

I am not a complaining person. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever left a bad review in my life.

However, after I walked around with a tear-stained, tattoo-less face and £50 less, I felt more empowered to warn people.

This, it turns out, is impossible. The tattoo studio didn’t have a website and wasn’t even on Google Maps. In fact, the only sign of his presence on Instagram, there is no way to review it. I began to wonder: how many people have had a terrible experience but failed to warn the next person?

This is a snapshot into the Wild West of Instagram business.

To be clear, I’m not saying ban Instagram businesses. I understand the benefits: the entrepreneur can participate. But let’s be honest. Not everyone should run a business. Of course, some people should not run a business. But now with the click of a button they can, and they can treat customers without responsibility.

I also don’t want to stop people from getting tattoos from Instagram artists they like. Go wild! Maybe check who follows first.

In other words…

He just went and did it. After months of drama, the richest man in the world, Elon Muskhas finally completed his purchase of Twitter for $44bn and became – in his own words – “Chief Twit “.

Elon Musk says he took a cue from Monty Python about ‘blasphemy and controversy’ in reiterating his decision to become the new head of Twitter (Evan Agostini/AP)

/ AP

Musk’s resignation has prompted people including celebrities such as horror author Stephen King and basketball star LeBron James to say they will leave the platform.

While there are many serious concerns about the impact of his ownership, I, for one, am not going anywhere. Yes, Twitter can be lonely but that doesn’t mean free access to some half-baked ideas. It’s 24/7, addictive entertainment.

Like other journalists I have doubts and at times I have considered leaving. But I’ll see a 20-tweet thread about how classy it is to have a garden, or a series of pictures of Liz Truss wearing different kinds of bags, and it’s useful. Nice try, Elon, but I’m in it for the long haul.

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