Spotting Ads on Social Media

Image of Dr Raffaello Rossi
Dr Raffaello Rossi Lecturer in marketing and researcher
Guide

This week's free online safety guide focuses on spotting ads on social media. It highlights a number of tips such as paying attention to the account name, studying the hashtags for clues and being savvy with high numbers of likes and shares.

A free online safety guide on spotting ads on social media.

Can young people always recognise when what they’re seeing on their social media feed is an advert? The evidence suggests there’s a good chance they might not. What often complicates matters is that many ads are virtually indistinguishable from a regular social media post. They’re frequently designed to be funny, exciting or cool, which distracts younger users away from the reality that they’re being sold something. Our #WakeUpWednesday guides has some top ideas for helping youngsters to spot ads like a pro!

In the guide, you'll find tips such as paying attention to the account name, studying the hashtags for clues and being savvy with high numbers of likes and shares.