Just four months after shaking up its user base with the introduction of fifteen second video sharing, Instagram took another step forward as a business today announcing to its more than 150 million users their streams will soon include advertisements.
Brands like GE, Levi and Burberry have already jumped on board to be a part of Instagram's experiment with advertising. The company offers no guarantees that the service will continue if it is poorly received by its users. The hope is that the company can build off existing brands that are active in the app's community.
"We'll focus on delivering a small number of beautiful, high quality photos and videos from a handful of brands that are already great members of the Instagram community," the site wrote in a blog post. "We want these ads to be enjoyable and creative in much the same way you see engaging, high-quality ads when you flip through your favorite magazine."
Instagram was purchased by Facebook for $736 million in 2012 and since that time the video and picture sharing application has seen its user base increase and its scope magnify. Ads will be another way that the company can expand and grow as a business, much in the way that Facebook has.
Many users have taken to the company's Tumblr page to express their dismay. According to Adage, one user wrote:
"First Tumblr, now Instagram. Ads ruin the entire experience."
"This is when I seriously stop using instagram. not that I use it that much anyways," wrote another user.
It's obvious that no one wants to see ads in their feed while scrolling through friend's photos. However, Instagram began as a free service open and available to all who wanted to experience it's brand of social media. By allowing advertisements the company has found a way to remain free and still make money in order to expand and perfect it's bold new social concept.
