06/15/2017

Instagram Will Now Tell You Who's Getting Paid to Post

Transparency is a good thing

Of all the social networks, Instagram stands out as the place to show off your most idealized life. But look more closely, and you can spot a dissonance present in those pristine posts when you scrutinize them—that low-fat granola bar looks too sumptuous, those expensive designer sunglasses worn too coolly (and yet still front-and-center!) in a casual photo. Are these filtered displays real life, or just an ad?

Now, Instagram is working to better distinguish a good old-fashioned ’gram from a glossy sponsorship with a new "branded content tool" it’s unveiling today. “A healthy community should be open and consistent about paid partnerships,” the company said in a blog post.

That's true: Transparency is a good thing. Otherwise, you end up with the embarrassing debacle of the Fyre Festival, in which 400 Instagram influencers hyped up the purported luxury music and beach-glamping extravaganza only to subject attendees on the day of the event to dirt fields, soggy tents and sad folding chairs. Though organizers bear the blame for the festival's failure, Instagram got dragged through the muck in the process. Clarifying who is getting paid to post will help Instagram itself from losing its gloss when influencers go bad. In practice, that means you as a user will start to see a new “paid partnership with” subhead on posts and stories when someone has paid a ’grammer to feature a consumer product, service or event.

Please click here to read the complete article from WIRED.