Most adverts are pretty obvious. You see them and usually just ignore them. But there’s this thing called sponsored content. It looks like regular news or videos but is actually an ad for a product, service, or brand. Imagine reading about local community events online, and the article turns out to be an ad for a new local TV show. Tricky, right?
Where do you find sponsored content? #
You can find it all over the internet, from sites like News24 and TimesLIVE to smaller ones like Independent Online. It’s also hanging around on social media, like Facebook and Twitter.
The problem is that sponsored content is so good at pretending to be real news that many people can’t tell the difference. In our country, only about a third of young people could tell which search results were ads, and even adults often can’t spot the difference between a sponsored ad and a proper news story. Sneaky, right?
How do I know if it’s sponsored content? #
Well, check who wrote the article or made the video. Look for any signs that it might have been paid for. Sometimes they might use words like “Sponsored” or “Promoted” to show that it’s an ad. Just like in this article, where you had to read carefully to see that a local company sponsored it.
Sponsored content isn’t always a bad thing, but you just need to be aware that not everything you read or watch is what it seems. Keep your eyes peeled, and you should be alright.
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