Without the shadow of a doubt, the matter of verification among “influencers” on Instagram has become a black market.
The blue verified checkmark informs people that an account is authentic. This verification process is very clear for Twitter or Facebook as opposed to Instagram. In this article, we will highlight the dark side of the deals among influencers for Instagram verification.
The blue checkmark should help more than one billion monthly active users of Instagram recognize the legitimacy of an account. According to Instagram's policies, this verification must not be requested online or purchased.
For an example from Instagram’s terms of use: “You cannot attempt to buy, sell, or transfer any aspect of your account (including your username) or solicit, collect, or use login credentials or badges of other users”.
But it is completely clear to us that there is a lucrative black market for Instagram verification among influencers. According to Socialtradia, being on Instagram, for most of the influencers, is a means of getting advertisements and earning money. Unfortunately, there is not a clear difference between a “person” and a “brand.”
A verified account is more likely to be on top of search results and subsequently get more attention. It is obvious that the more attention you get on Instagram, the more money you can make. So, a verified account on Instagram is the key to achieve a golden opportunity to make more and more money. It should be added that when an influencer gains a blue checkmark, they will be actually a member of social media who frequently get requested for verification.
An important matter is that although a similar chance for making money exists on other platforms like YouTube, mounting a sought-after account on them is not as easy as on Instagram. A YouTube user has to make original videos for their channel, which typically takes a long time to be famous and gain followers. An Instagram account, on the contrary, can share pictures and rephrase content of other pages to gain thousands of followers!!! So, Instagram is a very attractive field for those who want to earn money without ever uploading a picture or writing content by themselves.
If you want to get verified on Instagram you can take below process:
• Go to your Instagram profile.
• Go to the menu.
• Go to the “settings”.
• Go to the “Request Verification.”
• Enter your full name.
• Upload a photo of your ID.
As you can see, it is a very simple process. Instagram will inform you that if they have reviewed your request. So, everyone can send a request and it can be imagined that they must be inundated by a never-ending stream of requests.
Although Instagram has recently limited the number of accounts with a verified checkmark, the existence of the matter has not been agreed upon by the application. Companies are investing billions of dollars each year to advertise their products or services via influencers’ pages on Instagram. The cost for verification on Instagram is consequently more than any other platform. Therefore, black marketing for verification among Instagram influencers is not anymore a secret. However, buyers of verification might not want to confess to it.
There are various prices for verification, according to some people familiar with the matter. For example, some independent sources have separately revealed to us that selling verification checkmarks for 3,000-8,000 USD is common among influencers.
According to some unverified rumors, many Instagram employees have been sacked for selling verification badges. Instagram verification is recognized via a form without public access. It is available to some people in the high-tech and media industries. It is said that former and current employees, and also famous media and entertainment corporations have a portal on which they can apply for verification.
They should provide the actual name and accounts along with a document of identity such as a passport. Also, they must submit the name of a contact on Facebook or Instagram. By this approach, Instagram wants to prevent its employees from misusing their access to some crucial matters such as paid verification.
Final Word
Black marketing of influencers on social media especially Instagram must be regarded as a real threat to the natural process of business. A concerted effort is required to be made by the owner of the application and also users in order to tackle the problem. Laying dawn some stricter rules for verification can alleviate the problem. Finally, active users on Instagram can prevent spreading the black market by avoiding paying attention to the copied contents, fake accounts, and “for the sale” profiles.
