Thread by @WIRED

Traditional ads suck, and brands know it. These days, people are more primed to heed the recommendations of social media influencers. The result: sponsored content has spread like a pandemic. This a look at the booming sponcon industry 1/ wired.trib.al/SVDpK9u

Here’s a non-shocker: No platform is used for shilling more than Instagram. Influencers posted more than 3.7 million #ads to it in 2018. That's 43% more than the year before. And these numbers only include the properly disclosed ads 2/ wired.trib.al/SVDpK9u

Sponcon life isn’t always easy. PR Consulting paid actor Luka Sabbat $45K to wear Snap Spectacles in posts and stories for his 1.7M followers during Fashion Week, then filed suit against him alleging he shortchanged them by 2 posts. 👀 his schedule 3/ wired.trib.al/SVDpK9u

No followers? No problem. Aspiring influencers can buy fake likes, followers, views, and more. For Instagrammers, popular vendors like Cloud Socials and BoostUp Social charge $35-$799 a month for a steady stream of interactions from prominent profiles 4/ wired.trib.al/SVDpK9u

The influence industry has skyrocketed in recent years, but this might just be the tip of the iceberg. Analyst’s project a high-end forecast of $10 billion for sponcon in 2020. Hope you enjoy seeing it in your feeds, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon 5/ wired.trib.al/SVDpK9u

All of this money has lead to—you guessed it—more problems. Read our deep dive into the shady, mafia-like world of influencers.

Spoiler alert: Your favorite YouTubers and Instagrammers are salespeople—not friends 6/
wired.trib.al/dThtkWo