People will believe almost anything on the internet.

Image from Axios

 

When you go to TikTok, probably the first thing you see is an ad. Then you keep scrolling, and eventually, you hit an infamous #ad post. But it is not always apparent that what you are seeing is an ad. Instead, you see someone talking about how they "love" this new lipstick or supplement.

But I believe this is creating a much larger issue in the way we view media and is essentially training us to believe these ads (disguised as just a review) to be fact. 

As discussed in the LA Times Article, Can Readers Tell the Difference Between Real News and Native Advertising? At the same time, these sponsored posts are labeled, the labeling is vague and deceiving. It is easy to skip over the light gray, tiny "sponsored" in the corner of the post. 

Is there a line that needs to be drawn between who and what is being advertised on social media? For instance, Kim Kardashian. While pregnant in 2015, she made an Instagram post with the hashtag #morningsickness. 

The post in question? A sponsored post advertising the morning sickness drug Diclegis. That is concerning because Kim Kardashian is one of the most famous and influential women in the United States, and she is pushing a drug that will influence pregnant women who view her content. 

That is a potential safety hazard, as the socialite did not state all of the potential side effects of the drug or that it is not just a "cure-all" for all women who suffer morning sickness during pregnancy. 

The FDA required Kim Kardashian to remove the post for misleading the public, but does this speak to a more significant issue in how we use social media stars and famous people to promote products?

But how do we stop this from happening? The Guardian published a great article about this. Specifically, the Fyre Festival catastrophe and how using famous people to push this content worked so well that it led to a lawsuit. Unfortunately, influencers do not have to follow the same ethics as journalists, and many are unaware of the rules and regulations regarding sponsored content. 

One student here at Ohio University who has a more significant following on social media is a partner with many small businesses and companies, where she makes posts about their clothing or products. None of these posts are labeled as "sponsored" or even include #ad. 

So while I believe this problem to be more detrimental when big-time celebs push it, it is not exclusive. 

Companies need to stop using people as vehicles to push products, creating a severe problem. A problem that far too many are complacent and unaware of.