The Instagram "swipe up" 10K follower threshold is costing marginalized creators their income

The "Swipe Up" feature on Instagram is the easiest, most direct way to share links with your followers. You can simply link any web link to a story and your followers literally just swipe up on the screen to be directed to the exact page or product you've linked. Stories are the most widely used Instagram feature, typically have high reach potential, and in-story swipe ups have a high click-through rate. Without this feature, you only have the option of placing a link in bio, which requires multiple steps, causing followers to be less likely to listen to your call to action. Swipe up links are often affiliate links (links where the creator makes a small commission from clicks and sales) and are a significant contributor to income for creators who are able to use them.

At this time, Instagram only allows accounts with over 10,000 followers to utilize the swipe up feature, which is where issues start to arise. By arbitrarily using 10,000 followers as their threshold, Instagram is leaving out arguably the most effective group of creators- micro influencers. Studies have shown that influencers with smaller followings typically have higher rates of engagement, more dedicated followings who trust them more, and an overall better return on investment. This means that both brands using influencer marketing and micro influencers themselves are missing out on a significant ability to provide direct links and therefore make more sales and drive income through the swipe up feature. But who is this mainly affecting?

The Instagram algorithm has proven time and time again to be extremely discriminatory towards creators of color (particularly Black creators), fat creators, queer creators, and other marginalized groups. These users experience shadow banning, removal of their community hashtags, and more at a higher rate. Instagram frequently removes posts or shuts down accounts run by these kinds of creators for posting photos that do not violate their terms of use - the exact same types photos that thin, white influencers post and go viral for. The hashtag # IWantToSeeNyome gained traction last year after creator Nyome Nicholas - Williams had this exact experience when a photo was removed from her account for nudity despite no violations of Instagram's nudity policies. Because of the ensuing movement, she was able to effect tangible change within Instagram's policies - which she never should have had to do in the first place.

It's clear that creators belonging to any of these groups, especially those who identify with more than one, face more barriers to cultivating a higher following on Instagram and therefore a more difficult time reaching the 10,000 follower threshold required for the swipe up feature. If this is the most effective feature Instagram offers to creators to see a direct return in the form of income for their work, why is it being kept from accounts with better engagement, click through rates, and most importantly - creating yet another barrier for marginalized creators? While Instagram has made a few PR statements regarding their discriminatory policies, it unsurprisingly has not ultimately changed much. The swipe up feature can be added to the list of practices IG needs to reconsider and reframe moving forward if they want to be seen as a true advocate and vehicle for change in the future.