Social Media Is Making You A Dupe Influencer
Dupe ‘til you drop // Illustration by Kate Walker
Instagram and TikTok are testing tools that automatically offer users recommendations for products similar to those shown in their photos or videos.
Why It Hurts: Product recommendations are the financial backbone of many influencers, with affiliate links and sponsored posts positioned as a sign-off that they personally approve of the products. But when platforms begin recommending products automatically, it could not only make it seem like an influencer approves of them… but also hurt their business.
Behind The Products: Instagram and TikTok appear to be inadvertently hijacking the trust influencers have built with their followers.
Instagram’s “Shop the Look” button appears in the corner of posts. When people click it, it serves them a list of products that resemble whatever the person is wearing or using… without the creator’s consent.
TikTok has been testing a “Find Similar” button that appears when videos are paused. The platform’s AI scans the image to serve recommendations for cheaper products. The feature has even popped up on posts about the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Checkout: Both platforms said the features are in beta, are being used to collect feedback, and don’t generate any commission for the platform… but influencers are raising the alarm about potential reputational damage. Fashion influencer Julia Berolzheimer was notified by her followers that the “Shop the Look” button appeared on posts where she was already recommending products. She wrote on Substack that “my followers were being shown cheap knockoffs and random items from brands I’ve never heard of, attached to my image, under my name.”
In other words, it’s not a great look.
Next Post: With the features appearing on posts from people who don’t even have followings, Instagram and TikTok may be trying to commercialize everyone’s content. When everyone is an influencer, no one is.
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.