mb163416@ohio.edu
It's 9am. You open your Instagram app and the first thing you see is one of the many Kardashians posting about the family's favorite sponsor, Sugar Bear Hair. In 2018, it's rare to see the clan posting paid promotions without disclosing its true nature. However, turn back the clock (rather, scroll back on their Instagram pages) a year or two, and you'll see many paid sponsorships that went undisclosed.
The Kardashian family has a long history with not disclosing when they are being paid to promote products or brands, and this poses many potential issues to their audience, which is growing younger and more naive. Even smaller influencers, called "microinfluencers" have the opportunity to promote products in this manner, according to AdAge.
This pattern of secrecy and lack of transparency isn't confined to one's Instagram feed. Any platform that has the ability to push stories or posts, and pose them as real news has the responsibility to disclose to audiences when these stories are in fact cultivated for less noble means.
Many companies disguise their promotional content to come across as hard news stories so that when they are aired during news broadcasts, audiences won't realize they are trying to be sold something. Although there are regulations via the FCC and FTC regarding the disclosure of sourcing and paid sponsorships, the rules don't always make it mandatory to clue audiences in to exactly what they are watching, listening to or otherwise observing.
The infiltration of fake and disguised content has even gone so far as government entities. The US Air Force has allegedly looking into using astroturfing, masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it is created and supported by many members of the public. This practice is unethical, yet uncharted territory by the FCC. Business Insider debunked several of these campaigns in 2011.
It is imperative that companies and individuals use integrity and disclose when they are being sponsored or otherwise paid to promote products. Consumers have the right to know why content is being pushed on their feed, and there's a big difference between liking a product because it makes your hair shiny and liking it because posting about it makes your wallet thicker.
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