Social media ads passing as posts: How advertising slips into Instagram

Among the photos of an acquaintance touring temples in Southeast Asia, the beauty routine recommended by a fashion influencer, or the intriguing story of an old classmate, there is always at least one ad that slips in while scrolling through an Instagram feed. Ads on social media have been bombarding users for a long time. They are not mere interruptions, but part of a carefully crafted digital marketing strategy. Their goal is to grab attention, prompt an action, secure a sale, or at least earn a click that brings the user one step closer to the brand behind the ad.

And there may be more of these ads than we realize. A group of scientists has discovered that people do not detect them as well as previously thought. And no, it’s not that people have gotten worse at spotting ads — it’s that platforms have succeeded in integrating them more seamlessly, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers and led by researcher Maike Hübner.

“I have nieces and nephews, and when I observed how today’s children and adolescents grow up with a phone in their hands, I noticed how early they are exposed to fake news and advertising on social media. That was the main motivation for the analysis,” says Hübner, of the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Hübner shared her concerns with other colleagues and students. To her surprise, many of them also had no clear idea how much advertising they saw each day. Some even replied, “Well, I like to stay up to date, I want to feel like I belong.” Faced with people’s difficulty distinguishing between real ads and regular posts, the expert decided to study why this continues to happen.

The scientists invited 152 regular Instagram users to view one of three simulated feeds of the app. Each feed contained 29 posts: eight ads and 21 organic posts. Participants were asked to imagine the feed was their own and to scroll through it as they normally would.

Hübner and her team recorded eye movements and also measured how long participants spent on each post. After each session, the scientists interviewed them about their experience. The results, published on Wednesday, reveal that most volunteers were surprised to learn how many ads they had failed to notice. “They were very confident in their ability before the experiment,” she says.

Participants paid attention to details such as logo design, high-quality images, or “Buy Now” buttons before realizing the information was actually an ad. The researchers found that ads often went unnoticed, but if people realized the content was not organic, many stopped interacting with the post. Eye-tracking data suggests that those who paid closer attention to calls to action (like a link to sign up, for example) may have been using these elements as a way to identify sponsored messages.

This was less likely to happen with ads that were better integrated and in a format typical of organic content. If the advertising cues were not immediately noticed, these ads achieved interaction levels similar to naturally shared content.

The study, however, is not without criticism. Jean Éric Pelet, professor of advanced digital marketing and author of the book Consumer Behavior: Understanding Consumers in a Digital Landscape (2025), points out that “important methodological details are missing,” such as the measurement scales, to fully assess the results. Even so, he acknowledges the value of the work. “It clearly shows how digital interfaces shape consumer behavior,” he emphasizes — especially, he says, when it comes to what he calls “hidden advertising” or integrated messages that are hard to detect but very easy to absorb.

On that point, the authors of the new study plan to expand their research to other platforms, such as TikTok or YouTube, where the boundaries between content and advertising are even more blurred. Social media platforms like Instagram have abandoned traditional banners in favor of blending in with organic content, as some users have learned to ignore ads in the old format. Some people have developed visual or persuasive literacy — the critical ability to recognize and analyze covert advertising messages. But this is not the case for younger users or those who follow trends without questioning them.

Ads spread through the feed

The shift away from banner advertising has compelled the industry to adapt. Now, ads on social media can appear in the middle of posts, blend in with regular content, and even disguise themselves as entertainment. Today’s users don’t just not ignore them — they engage selectively, drawn by aesthetic design, humor, and smooth storytelling. Maike Hübner says what they observed in their analysis is an evolution of the so-called “banner blindness.”

These features create what Jean Éric Pelet describes as a “flow state,” where the user remains captivated — even by promotional content — without realizing it. “I myself have watched entire ads knowing exactly what they were doing,” he said, referring to a recent Google campaign about its AI video technology, VEO 3.

Hübner also compares this phenomenon to the impact of unrealistic beauty standards circulating on social media. The change in perception happens gradually, almost imperceptibly, and is hard to identify until it has already left its mark. It is subtle, comfortable, and therefore highly effective. “Perhaps the answer lies in educational strategies or concrete changes in platform design,” the researcher says.

Advertising legislation falls short

Regulations on advertising in social media can vary from country to country. In regions such as the European Union (EU) and in countries like Spain, China, and the United States, there are specific legal frameworks addressing online advertising, with a focus on protecting minors, regulating political ads, and promoting certain products or services.

Maike Hübner and Jean Éric Pelet agree that platforms are not doing enough. “They comply with the rules, the labels are there; but our study shows they are not effective in practice,” Hübner explains.

The Digital Services Act, which came into force across the EU in February 2024, requires greater transparency from online platforms. They must label ads and maintain “a repository with details about the paid advertising campaigns running on their online interfaces.” In reality, people don’t ignore the labels on purpose — they simply “don’t see them.” “Transparency should go beyond just placing a label; people browse social media in a relaxed, automatic state,” she notes.

Pelet takes a more blunt view. He has taught in China and has firsthand knowledge of the digital environment of platforms such as WeChat or TikTok. “They collect as much data as they can. So no, they’re not aiming to be transparent,” he says. Social media infiltrates what he calls “leisure time” — those brief, unstructured moments when people check their phone in bed or on public transport. It’s during these micro-moments that “advertising becomes more powerful.”

Another way to attract users and promote subtle brand messages is through the charisma of celebrities or influencers. Little Red Book, a Chinese social network promoted by footballer Kylian Mbappé, is a telling example. Although little known outside China, it could soon reach global markets. For Pelet, it’s a case study in how public figures become vehicles to attract users and position brands without the promotional message being perceived as advertising.

“It’s not that advertising is bad — platforms and creators need revenue — but users should be able to make an informed decision, just as they used to be when TV clearly marked the start of a commercial break,” explains Hübner.

And now, in the rapid scroll through social media feeds, between filters and 15-second videos, the thin line between content and advertising is becoming ever more blurred

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition