Influencers Are Upset About Being Stigmatized for Sponsored Content

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Major changes are on the horizon for your Instagram feed. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission sent out over 90 letters reprimanding influencers for not properly disclosing sponsored content on their pages. The government agency put out a new series of guidelines congruent with the letters, mandating that sponsored content has to be disclosed in the first line of an Instagram caption with hashtags like “sponsored” and “ad.”

Influencers are hitting back, taking to social media to voice their discontent with the “stigma” against them. They are eager to assert the legitimacy of influencing as an actual business, even though no one is exactly sure what influencing entails besides taking selfies. Fohr Card, an agency that connects influencers with various brands, is helping them be heard. The agency has distributed merch to 120 influencers it represents, in an attempt to jumpstart the “SponCon” (sponsored content) protest movement.

They have distributed baseball caps with “#Sponsored” embroidered on them to their clients. The recipients of the hats have a combined audience of 14 million followers. Fohr Card founder, James Nord explained to Fashionista: “We want to give influencers who work really hard the chance to say, ‘I’m so happy to have these brands that I grew up loving partnering with me now,’ and essentially help to tell their stories.”

While guidelines for social media content that’s being paid for is much needed, it’s interesting that regulating Instagram captions is at the top of the American government’s to-do list in times like these.

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createdAt:Wed, 03 May 2017 19:22:52 +0000
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