The latest update to Instagram isn’t much of a shocker as much as it is an annoyance.
Ads are invading your explore feed and we’re pretty sure there will never be an ad blocker for these guys.
This is all part of Instagram’s overhaul of their Explore feature which started last month which included some awesome user interface updates and easier access to Instagram’s new streaming app, IGTV.
Ads in the Explore tab joins ads in the Stories and user feed sections of the app which should round out the service’s introduction of this monetization feature.
As DPReview reports, Instagram’s introduction of video and picture ads might be founded upon a little more than just the need to make more money.
It turns out, some 80% of Instagram’s user base follow a business or company of some kind which means that there is a huge opportunity out there for this kind of service.
In addition to the ad, though, users will apparently have a lot of interaction options with the business offer including a direct link to purchase a product in the ad.
Like most changes that Facebook brings to the world’s premier photo sharing platform, the addition of ads in the user’s explore feed will be a gradual change, not something that happens all at once.
Director of business product marketing Susan Buckner Rose told The Verge, “Explore is where people are really open to discovery, and that’s why we’re really excited about this.”
When asked about the process behind this addition, Buckner discussed how the team of devs looked for places where users already organically discover new accounts and content which made the Explore tab a natural location for ads.
As always, we’d love to know your thoughts on Instagram – and elsewhere – and you can leave those in the comments below.
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