Who Won the U.S. Presidential Debate?

Rogue social media influencers are relying on gender stereotypes, bogus claims and deceptive editing to monetize their content and increase their following, a new study has found.

Influencers using these questionable tactics, which would otherwise be impermissible under UK marketing rules, are seemingly able to hide in plain sight thanks to the existing focus on ad labeling within the influencer industry.

In the absence of a legal definition and comprehensive guidelines on influencers, some are able to operate in regulatory blind-spots, with the only real requirement that sinks its teeth is for them to be transparent about what type of content they are producing (e.g., advertising) rather than the substance of their messaging.

New research by the University of Essex's media law expert, Dr. Alexandros Antoniou, has unearthed some of the dark arts being used by rogue influencers. He identified four questionable strategies which were recurring themes during his analysis of more than 140 rulings from ASA between 2017 and 2024.

The rulings related to advertising and promotional content, which had been referred to the watchdog amid concerns it broke marketing regulations.

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