A New Way to Gain Traction on Instagram? Find Out How a Paid Subscription Could Change Your Experience Forever!

A New Way to Gain Traction on Instagram? Find Out How a Paid Subscription Could Change Your Experience Forever!
Key takeaways:
  1. Instagram may be considering introducing a paid verification badge feature.
  2. Developer Alessandro Paluzzi found references to a paid subscription plan and associated blue badge in Instagram’s code.
  3. Twitter’s paid verification system has stabilized since its tumultuous rollout.
  4. There is no comment from Instagram so it is not clear this has gotten final approval.

What is happening: Are you ready for a new way to get noticed on Instagram? It looks like the popular photo-sharing app might be rolling out a paid subscription plan and associated blue badge feature soon! Developer and reverse-engineer Alessandro Paluzzi recently uncovered references to the feature in Instagram’s code. While there’s no visible evidence yet, Paluzzi did show TechCrunch a code snippet that tipped him off to the possibility of the feature.

It’s likely that Meta, Instagram’s parent company, is looking to take a page out of Twitter’s book and introduce a paid verification system of its own. Twitter was met with a lot of backlash when they first rolled out their paid verification system, but it has since stabilized and become a great way for the company to monetize their services.

If Instagram does decide to introduce a paid verification system, it could be a great way for users to get noticed and for Meta to turn their business back around.

Our take: Instagram has been in a constant state of evolution, as it works to remain competitive in an increasingly competitive social media landscape. Things have been particularly turbulent recently as the platform seemingly lost ground to TikTok, leading to massive changes being implemented to try and steer it back towards growth. Unfortunately, these changes have been met with confusion, frustration and in some cases, a full-blown exodus of users. Many creators now feel overwhelmed and alienated by the rapid changes, and are wondering if the changes are for the better or worse. As Instagram continues to find its footing in the ever-shifting landscape of social media, only time will tell if the platform can regain the confidence of its users.