Insta-shamming Are social media influencers fooling anyone?
Whoever you are on the internet, you will sometimes see a flicker of #ad or #spon on Instagram and think: “Here we go, they’ve sold out.” Chances are, we follow our favourite pixel-pushers because their posts entertain or inform us, or make us feel a bit less alone – at least that’s what I try to do with my Instagram feed, @mother_ pukka, which has a readership of over 181,000.
But there’s been change afoot these last few years. The reality is that regular people are better placed to flog goods; it’s basic consumer behaviour.
Scrolling through pictures of Cara Delevingne trotting around in a velveteen catsuit is obviously unattainable – but then I clap eyes on someone who looks a bit more like me wearing something similar, and feel more inclined to “add to cart”.
I’ve flogged/ vlogged about bog roll, and was asked if I felt I’d sold out – to which my response was no, not at all. I’ve got 33 years of experience using the stuff and if I can, I’m going to use it to pay the mortgage.
This is a shift across the media landscape as traditional magazines and newspapers close, and the publishing graveyard means that budgets are being directed towards The Real People on the internet. Instagram may occasionally be a curated wonderland of filtered unicorn reality, but Real People exist there, too, trying to put their experiences to good use.
So what’s a little ad, so long as it’s clearly marked?
I partner with products I like, but only in a way that feels natural to me, and always note that it is an #ad clearly in the caption. So long as there is transparency, Instagrammers being paid for posts is just the logical next step for the social media generation.