Instagram might be misusing your posts to promote products
What's the story
Instagram's new feature is using influencers' posts to promote lookalike products, and you might be a victim too. The issue was first highlighted by Puck when Julia Berolzheimer, an influencer with over a million followers, unknowingly promoted products on Instagram. A "Shop the look" button appeared on some of her posts, directing followers to similar items she wore.
Controversy
Cheap knockoffs and random items
The "Shop the look" button on Berolzheimer's posts was added by Instagram without her consent. The links didn't lead followers to the actual items she was promoting, but to lookalikes instead. Berolzheimer expressed her outrage over this development in a Substack post, saying, "My followers were being shown cheap knockoffs and random items from brands I've never heard of."
Official statement
Meta's response to the controversy
Responding to the controversy, Meta spokesperson Matthew T Torres said, "This is a limited test intended to help people explore products that match their interests when they're viewing posts or reels." He added that Meta does not take a commission on these items and will continue refining the experience based on feedback. However, this explanation does little to address influencer concerns about unvetted product associations.
Business implications
Potential harm to influencers' businesses
The feature could hurt influencers' businesses by associating their name, face, and content with products they haven't vetted. This could also affect an influencer's income stream as another platform takes a cut of the profits instead of the influencer themselves. Even non-influencers are at risk of being used for ads without their knowledge through similar features on other social media platforms like TikTok.