Hide Ads

By Jonathan Vingiano

I block every ad that pops into my Instagram feed in an attempt to keep it a purely social space. After doing this for over a year, I noticed the ads were no longer mundane, focus-grouped, A/B tested images from brands. Instead, Instagram was sending me the dregs, the leftovers, the ads that regular people create. Was the algorithm confused? My feed was suddenly infiltrated by strangers, armed with the same tools as the world’s largest advertisers, who were boosting everything from heartfelt posts to homemade PSA’s and everything in between. Many were not advertising a product or service, but simply themselves. Seeing an ad was suddenly not intrusive, but a gift from a stranger, an I loved having them in my feed. I’ve captured hundreds of these posts and compiled some of my favorites here.

- Jonathan Vingiano

5.5" x 8", Risograph printed, Saddle stitch bound

Published by TXTbooks in 2019

Brooklyn, NY