First reported by Business Insider, Instagram is internally testing “Gifts”, a new tipping feature that lets creators earn money through Reels.
App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi spotted the feature back in July, when Instagram was developing it under the name “Content Appreciation.” Based on his screenshots, creators can toggle an option to let fans send them “Gifts” through a button displayed at the bottom of Reels, and check if they’re eligible for the feature under a new Gifts tab in their settings.
This is not the platform’s first foray into monetization. In 2020, Instagram launched “Badges”, a feature that allows users to show support to creators by purchasing a Badge during a live video. Badges can cost $0.99, $1.99 or $4.99, and a heart icon appears next to the supporter’s name in the comments.
Other social media platforms have also introduced creator tipping features. Last December, TikTok launched direct tipping for creators. In May 2021, Twitter launched a Tip Jar feature, and earlier this year, Tumblr introduced a similarly named Tip Jar feature.
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