The federal government has repeatedly advised both advertisers and celebrities that it’s against the law for someone to advertise a product without disclosing that it’s an ad or that the celeb was compensated. Yet it looks like reality TV’s most well-known family either didn’t get that memo or is choosing to ignore it. [More]
How Much Is Instagram Verification Worth On The Black Market?
By 9.1.17
Here in the social media era, everyone is a brand — but some more than others. Verified “influencers” on social media platforms can make a pretty penny selling access to their influence… and so it perhaps is unsurprising that the ability to influence is, itself, a hot commodity you can buy. [More]
There’s A Good Chance A Cosmetic Surgeon Advertising On Instagram Is Not Board-Certified
By 8.30.17
Don’t select your plastic surgeon based solely on their Instagram posts. That feels like something we shouldn’t have to tell people, but the “bad idea”-ness of it all is being highlighted by a new report which found that fewer than 20% of cosmetic surgery posts on Instagram are from board-certified plastic surgeons. [More]
All Of My Instagram Photos Have Disappeared. What Now?
By 8.10.17
Remember the Consumerist reader who had temporarily deactivated his Instagram account, then reactivated it, only to find that he’d lost all of his photos? Yeah, that’s still happening to people, and Instagram is now admitting that this is an issue. [More]
Instagram Will Let You Broadcast Your Video Chats, Because Your Life Is A TV Show
By 8.9.17
What’s better than one solipsistic Instagram celebrity broadcasting live to their followers as they do their laundry or ramble on about Game of Thrones? How about a new Instagram feature that lets two egomaniacs fight for attention as they blather on about nonsense for the amusement of their fans! [More]
Don’t Use Social Media Behind The Wheel: 9 People Per Day Are Killed In Crashes Involving Distracted Drivers
By 7.24.17
Distracted driving comes in many forms, from talking on the phone, to messing with a navigation system, or posing for selfies on the latest social media app. Over the weekend, the latter distraction, combined with another dangerous driving hazard — drunk driving — to claim the life of a teen in California. [More]
Amazon Spark: Like Instagram, But Dedicated To Convincing You To Buy Stuff
By 7.19.17
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your Instagram feed and thinking, “Gee, all these photos of my friends’ meals and their feet are great; but I really wish every single photo was an ad for a product?” It just so happens that Amazon has something just like that. [More]
Instagram Users Not Pleased After Their Accounts Are Disabled For No Reason
By 7.6.17
Instagram already has a lot of reasons it can employ to justify closing a user’s account: hacked feeds, spammers, lawbreakers, bullying, etc. But dozens of Instagram users are raging against the Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform today, saying they were locked out of their accounts without any reason or explanation. [More]
Instagram Lets Users Hide Offensive Comments Automatically
By 6.29.17
Last fall, Instagram began allowing users to filter out unwanted comments on their photos by keyword, now the photo sharing site is launching two additional tool, including one that blocks certain offensive comments automatically. [More]
Report: Instagram Influencers Continue To Ignore Warnings About Stealth Ads
By 6.26.17
Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission issued dozens of friendly reminders to brands that they were potentially breaking advertising/endorsement rules by compensating Instagram “influencers” without being transparent about this sponsorship. According to a new report, this message apparently didn’t influence the influencers, many of whom continue to stealth-advertise to their followers. [More]
Instagram Makes It Easier For ‘Influencers’ To Tag Sponsored Posts
By 6.14.17
Consumer watchdogs and the federal government have been cracking down on undisclosed “stealth” advertising on social media — particularly Instagram, where celebrities of all stripes have been caught shilling for products without disclosing they were compensated. In an effort to make it easier for these “influencers” to be more transparent about sponsored posts, Instagram has launched a new “paid partnership” label. [More]
Russian Hackers Use Britney Spears’ Instagram Account To Hide Messages
By 6.9.17
Instagram is a massive platform, with roughly a billion people all over the world using it to share photos. The most popular users’ images attract thousands or even hundreds of thousands of comments each… which makes them the perfect place to hide a string of text — like, say, malware-activating code — that looks meaningless to most people. [More]
Court Temporarily Halts School’s Expulsion Of Student Who ‘Liked’ Racist Instagram Images
By 5.30.17
Four California high school students who were suspended earlier this year for their alleged support or complicity with a racist Instagram account will not immediately have to face the immediate possibility of expulsion or further disciplinary action after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order against the school district. [More]
Feds Warn Social Media ‘Influencers’ To Stop It Already With The Stealth Ads
By 4.19.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Like it or not, the fact is that we’ve crossed through the mirror into a world where people are paid lots of money to mention a product, wear an article of clothing, or sip some ab-tightening tea… not because they are famous but because they get paid lots of money to mention products they got for free, wear comped clothing, and drink dubious tea — a well-dressed, flat-tummied, ouroboros shown off in impeccably framed and filtered Instagram shots. You might find it repellant, but it’s legal, so long as all of that cash and compensation is adequately disclosed — a message that a number of “influencers” and their handlers have either ignored or not received. [More]
Instagram Continues To Mimic Snapchat, Adds Disappearing Messages To Direct Inbox
By 4.11.17
In yet another apparent attempt to render Snapchat irrelevant, Instagram has incorporated its rival social media’s hallmark feature — disappearing messages — into its own platform. [More]
Instagram Now Protects Precious Eyes By Blurring Out “Sensitive” Content
By 3.23.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Instagram bans nudity, but there are plenty of photos of the image-sharing platform that are literally a fingernail or well-placed bowl of fruit away from violating that rule. To address pictures that ride that fine line, Instagram is rolling out a new feature that blurs out some photos and videos. [More]
Facebook Testing Ads In ‘Messenger’ App
By 1.26.17
The ads, they’re coming for you. Or at least they are if you use Facebook’s Messenger app to communicate with your friends. [More]
Instagram Now Lets You Pick Who Can Comment On Your Posts
For the better part of the last year, Instagram has introduced new tools intended to keep the social media platform a “safe and positive place for self-expression” by allowing users to filter out unwanted or offensive comments. Now, the photo sharing site is launching another initiative letting users pick just who can comment on their posts in the first place. [More]