Hate it when you can’t tell whether your favorite Instagram celeb’s photo is sponsored or not? Instagram is here to help.
Instagram plans to roll out a feature so that people can label their photos as paid promotions, in the interest of transparency.
Product endorsements are rife on the app, with celebrities and people with large followings posting more and more sponsored content ranging from clothes to food and other items.
Instagram celebrities with large followings are labelled as “influencers,” and while this is an industry-wide ethics issue, in the United States, people promoting products are required under truth-in-advertising rules to inform fans about their sponsored content.
In a statement, Instagram said that their feature will allow users are posting a picture to add a “paid partnership with” label that would appear above the picture. The label is, however, voluntary.
“As more and more partnerships form on Instagram, it’s important to ensure the community is able to easily recognize when someone they follow is paid to post content.”
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