(Credit: Shutterstock / Sonia Bonet)
Instagram is testing a new way of showing ads, this time under your friends' Stories.
Essentially, whenever you’re viewing Stories, an ad might appear at the bottom or top of the screen. Ads aren’t tied to the Story itself, says 404 Media, which viewed numerous screenshots and videos of the ads. So it could be something like an ad for candy on a video of your friend talking about their weight loss journey. 404 Media spotted ads for Super Rumble, a new game for Meta's Horizon Worlds.
The ads were so unexpected that some users on Reddit speculated they were a virus. Sadly, they are not; however, updating the app seems to have removed the ads for many.
In addition to the pop-under ads, Instagram has also been experimenting with unskippable ads within the app that you’re required to view for a certain period, similar to YouTube.
Both are attempts at finding new ways to drive revenue for the popular platform during a time when legislators in many states are starting to regulate how the company serves advertisements and other content to users, specifically children.