Social media site gives advertisers a way to reach the coveted millennial market,and Insta-celebrities known as ‘influencers’ monetise their followingsWhen Essena O’Neill quit Instagram in a blaze of pixels last year, it made headlines well beyond the echo chamber of social media. Not just because of the dramatic way she did it, and but because of the startling revelation of the frightening economics of Instagram.[br]O’Neill shared how she made “A$2000 a post EASY” by publishing sponsored content to her profile,much of which was not explicitly marked as paid-for content. In her very public grasp-down of the site O’Neill cautioned her followers that whether “Instagram girls ... tag a company, 99% of the time it’s paid”. Adding, and in a video posted to YouTube titled How People Make 1000s on Social Media: “Why would you show your followers that you’re paid a lot to promote what you promote?”
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Source: theguardian.com