After hinting at an ad-supported future last month, Instagram took its first steps on Thursday to make that plan a bit more concrete.
On its company blog, Instagram confirmed that select users in the United States will begin seeing ads in their feeds over the next couple of months.
"Seeing photos and videos from brands you don't follow will be new, so we'll start slow," said the company in a blog post. "We'll focus on delivering a small number of beautiful, high-quality photos and videos from a handful of brands that are already great members of the Instagram community."
Instagram says it will work closely with a handful of brands at first, in an effort to exert some quality control over the content they're pushing into user feeds. And unlike its parent company Facebook, Instagram will deliver ads to users regardless of their stated interests. Facebook, by contrast, seeks to advertise based on companies and brands users have liked and followed on the networks.
Starting from the moment it was purchased by Facebook in 2012, It was almost inevitable that Instagram would introduce ads in some form or another.
Mobile advertising comprises a large portion of the revenue generated by the likes of Facebook and Google. According to research done by research firm eMarketer, spending in the mobile ad space has more than doubled to $8.8 billion in the past year alone.
But for Instagram, the introduction of ads is bound to cause some friction. Earlier this year, it changed its terms of service to allow the possibility of integrating users' photos into ad campaigns. After a considerable amount of user blowback, it quickly backed off that policy.
One planned feature -- the ability to hide ads -- may provide a middle ground for Instagram users who encounter a particularly bad piece of advertising.
And if it's anything like its parent company, Instagram will likely add and remove ad-based features while it begins to experiment with ads.
Latest Stories
-
There’s no need to seek additional demolition permit from Supreme Court – Lawyer Frimpong
7 mins -
My generation hasn’t been kind to you, we failed you – Sam Jonah
29 mins -
Women in Engineering Ghana congratulates Ing. Dr. Kpekpena’s appointment as Chair of WIE global
54 mins -
One dead in Akufo-Addo convoy accident at Bunso in Eastern Region
1 hour -
Shortage of ‘bentua’ hits Accra Central
2 hours -
Arsenal beat Everton but miss out on Premier League title
2 hours -
Man City win record fourth English title in a row as Foden scores twice
2 hours -
I’ve initiated legal processes to protect my daughter and I from Medikal – Fella Makafui
2 hours -
FIFA seeks ‘legal expertise’ before decision on Israel soccer ban proposal
3 hours -
Man United end worst Premier League campaign with win over Brighton
3 hours -
Watch: Car runs over 5 people, killing police at Abrepo junction
3 hours -
Two dead in Essikado premix fuel explosion
4 hours -
Infinix Ghana wins Smartphone Brand of the Year at Ghana-West Africa Business Excellence Awards
5 hours -
Helicopter in Iranian president’s convoy crashes – state media
6 hours -
Fella underwent surgery to advertise her slim tea business – Medikal
6 hours