instagram-authenticity

[instagram-authenticity]

This New Yorker article by Ian Crouch provides some insight into the structure behind Instagram and its common themes. The following paragraph in particular was of interest to us in highlighting the inauthenticity that can be found on Instagram:

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Instagram Influencers: Who are these almost unrealistically fit, attractive, and influential beings?

Instagram Influencers are people with Instagram accounts who have gained large amounts of followers whether through posting relatable content, being popular in other areas such as TV, movies or other social media, or people who simply lead enviable lives that us normal people love to watch. Marketing teams take notice of the influential power these individuals can have, and take advantage of it by paying them to advertise certain goods or services, typically in photos that aim to appear like casual genuine posts about the products in order to be more appealing to viewers.

We’re sure you’ve seen a fair share of these unicorns on Instagram, and now you know what they’re called! Keep an eye out for any products featured in their posts, as it’s likely that they were sponsored. 

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Observing the engagement on a photo when it’s first posted can give you indicators about whether it has paid engagement. If you see a small amount of likes, then in a couple minutes find that it’s gained hundreds of likes which then stop increasing rapidly after a few more minutes, it’s extremely likely that those likes were purchased and delivered by a service.

Organic likes tend to increase slowly over time, and there aren’t too many reasons outside of being purchased that a post would gain hundreds of likes in a minute which then immediately stop increasing.

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Paid Attention by Faris Yakob

This is an interesting read for anyone attempting to increase their digital literacy skills, as it allows for the reader to learn about the reasons why their attention is so valuable in today’s economy, and why it is seen as necessary for advertisers to target users through mediums such as Instagram, especially through subtle methods of advertising through Instagram Influencers so as not to be too obvious and repel the viewer. Check out an online preview of the book here!

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Be aware of services that allow users to pay for followers!

Some companies offer services such as 5000 followers gained for only $65, or even 500 followers for a mere $15. Knowing about these kinds of services is a solid step in increasing your digital literacy in the area of authenticity on Instagram, and can help you tell he real from the fake!

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Things to look out for when questioning whether an account is buying likes and followers

Look at the list of their followers or those who like their posts:

Do a majority of usernames or a lot in a row have similar words or numbers within the handle?

i.e. cutiemarie237654, wildjohn879230

Do accounts have small numbers of photos on their accounts?

Do their photos appear to be grabbed from various sources online, rather than being taken by the individual running the account?

Do accounts have little or even no engagement at all on their pictures?

Are a majority of the accounts private?

Do a lot of the accounts fit into a specific niche that is not connected to the poster?

i.e. 20 travel enthusiasts liking a car enthusiast’s engine photo

Do likes seem to ‘disappear’ after a certain amount of time?

These are all indications that the poster may be buying likes and followers.

[instagram-authenticity]

🚩 RED FLAG! 🚩

If a user is following a large amount of accounts in comparison to a far smaller amount of followers, it could be evidence of “thirst following” which is following purely in hopes of being followed back. Or they might just be stoked on seeing lots of online content. But it’s definitely a flag to look out for. A big red one.

[instagram-authenticity]

thirst follow

A thirst follow is when one user follows another for the sole purpose of being potentially followers back. It is likely that they will then unfollow the user after they have gained their follow. Some people are focused solely on gaining followers, and don’t want any unrequited follows. I guess they just can’t...

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4000 likes? That post deserves 10, maybe 15 tops! Wháaaāaæaãaaåäaat?

Unnaturally high amount of likes on a post? Doesn’t match up with their follower count or typical level of engagement? It’s likely that this post is sponsored! Sponsored posts involve payment or an exchange of goods in return for increased engagement or “Likes.” Be aware!

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Video from Buzzfeed which nicely compiles the details of Essena O’Neill’s decision to abandon social media and her reasons for it.

Check this out to see some of the damages of social media and how images that many believed to be candid were actually extremely constructed for specific purposes of promoting branded content!

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Examples of Essena O’Neill’s replaced captions on Instagram posts.

Following her decision to abandon social media and more specifically, sponsored content, Essena O’Neill went back and replaced previous captions on her Instagram posts, now highlighting the promotions behind them and what went in to creating these “candid” shots that are valued so highly in our social economy today.