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Here's how Instagram decides what ads to show you

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If you've noticed more ads on Instagram lately, then you're not alone.

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Last month, the technology blogger turned venture capitalist (and prominent Instagrammer) Om Malik wrote a scathing post about how he was considering removing Instagram from the home screen of his phone because it was showing him too many ads.

The app, he wrote, "has been infesting my feed with too many ads — and not just any ads but terrible ads. Video ads. Ads that make absolutely no sense to me. Ads that have less relevance to my feed and me than dumb follow-me-everywhere banners on the web."

Instagram wouldn't comment to Tech Insider on the frequency of ads it shows — it varies from person to person depending on how much time you spend using the app. But there's no question that the number of ads has increased in the last few months. Late last summer, the company made a big change that allowed anyone to advertise on Instagram rather than just big brands who worked a deal out directly with the company.

Malik isn't alone in his complaints — some people have been pointing it out on Twitter, too.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, is an advertising company. And Facebook shares data with Instagram to better target ads to you. So it's safe to assume that almost everything you do on Facebook — who your friends are, what posts you like, what posts you don't like, what brands you follow, and more, is used to better target ads to you.

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Facebook also looks at your behavior off of Facebook — what apps you use on your phone and what websites you visit — to better target ads to you.

"A quality Instagram experience is important to us," an Instagram spokesperson said in a statement to Tech Insider. "We've been thoughtful with our ads approach and continue to closely monitor community engagement. We've been pleased with those metrics so far. Our goal is for Instagram ads to be as relevant as the rest of the content people see. "

In other words, the company is sensitive to how people receive its ads and looks closely at how the number and type of ads it shows affects how often people use the app. It monitors if people use the app less when they're shown more ads and, at least according to the statement, they're "pleased with those metrics so far."

Like Facebook, you can give feedback about Instagram ads — and hide them — on Instagram by tapping the "Sponsored" button in the top right corner of an ad.

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You can choose to tell Instagram whether or not the ad is relevant, if you see it too often, or if it's inappropriate.

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Screenshot/Tech Insider

But giving Instagram this type of feedback, of course, is just another data point the company can use to better target ads to you.

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