An unusual social media startup has arisen to fill the void left after the banning of Instagram in the Russian Federation with a unique pitch to prospective users: the promise to share their sadness online. As part of its longstanding practice of restricting access to Western social media, the Russian government banned the social media site Instagram on March 14, while accusing parent company Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook, Inc.) of “extremist activities” after the company allowed users to post death wishes for Russian invaders and praise of the far-right Azov Battalion. While users may continue to access Instagram using VPN services, this barrier to entry has occasioned a demand for native Russian alternative platforms. Enter Grustnogram: The brainchild of entrepreneurs Ivan Semkin and Alexander Tokarev, Grustnogram promises users a melancholy alternative to Instagram, with an emphasis on photos portraying contemplative sadness rather than the smiling extroversion for which Instagram …