The Instagram blog dropped a bomb today when they announced they will begin showing ads in your feed whether you like it or not.
Previously brands could only pollute your feed if you bothered to follow them. However Instagram will begin selling ad space in you feed which will disrupt your flow of sunsets and dinner selections uploaded by your closest friends.
The rollout is expected in the next few months and they promise to ease you into it.
“In the next couple months, you may begin seeing an occasional ad in your Instagram feed if you’re in the United States. Seeing photos and videos from brands you don’t follow will be new, so we’ll start slow. 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. “
They cite the need for Instagram to grow into a “sustainable business” for the decision to begin selling ad space. They describe “big ideas for the future” which hopefully will make up for the annoyance of unsolicited posts you will need to endure.
They will offer users the ability to control what ads they see in their feed by hiding ones that do not appeal to them and provide feedback to help shape your experience and improve the process.
Although it is a disappointment to the over 150 million subscribers, it was expected. With all the ads littering Facebook, it seems lucky that Instagram was able to wait this long.
