Instagram is becoming more and more an advertising platform. Accordingly, the social network uses personal information from partners to personalize your ads. If you do not want to do this, we will explain how to turn off Instagram Targeting.
The bigger a network, platform or service becomes, the more attention it gets. In the beginning, this usually brings positive coverage.
But when companies become the focus of public attention, the critical aspects are always highlighted. The social video app Tik Tok and the video solution Zoom, hyped at the beginning of the Corona pandemic, have clearly felt this in 2020.
The rise of Instagram in Germany
When it comes to the leading social networks for businesses and advertisers, the name Instagram is almost always mentioned. Of course, Facebook is still by far the largest platform in the world.
But the Facebook subsidiary Instagram is much more sought-after by users and brands. While the platform had just nine million users in Germany at the beginning of 2016, by 2020, according to the options in Ad Manager, it will have 21 million users.
And the Instagram Stories show a similar trend. In Germany, 18 million people use the popular format every day. The worldwide use of Instagram Stories is as high as 500 million people – every day anew.
Data protection is also becoming more important for Instagram
The already described phenomenon of attention is of course also reflected in Instagram. This is especially true in the areas of data protection and privacy. After all, the parent company Facebook has been involved in numerous data protection scandals in recent years.
Accordingly, Instagram is going on the offensive and offering its own users more options. For example, users can now decide whether or not to turn off Instagram Targeting.
In concrete terms, this means that every user can decide whether Instagram uses information from so-called “partners” to deliver personalized advertising to you.
These partners include online stores, advertisers and websites. And the information is personal information such as your purchases from online stores or your browser search behavior.
Turn off Instagram Targeting: Here’s how it works
If you do not want to see personalized advertising on Instagram, you can turn off Instagram Targeting. This will take less than a minute.
- Open your profile.
- Click on the three horizontal bars in the upper right corner.
- Select “Settings”.
- Click “Ads” and then “Partner data”.
- Move the green button next to your profile picture.
If you have followed these steps, Instagram Targeting will be disabled for your account. This may result in the ads you see being less tailored to your personal interests.
Instagram is not a brand building channel for advertisers
However, regardless of the numerous and ongoing optimizations, the ads on Instagram and Facebook are usually not really tailored to the interests and needs of a user anyway.
In many cases, the classic range and watering can principle is still used. Advertisers are still only interested in clicks, conversions and reach. This was recently confirmed by a large study.
Instagram’s brand building options – personalized storytelling via live videos, stories, guides and posts – are hardly noticed. This leaves a lot of potential untapped.
