Study links social scrolling to greater trust in direct ads

A recent advertising study found that a brief Instagram scroll can make consumers more receptive to ads that tell them what to think. The results suggest that online shoppers may be more vulnerable to direct sales claims when their attention is already strained, University of Tennessee advertising professor Matthew Pittman wrote in The Conversation.

Pittman said he and fellow researchers Stan Li and Bixuan Sun tested how people respond to online ads when they are under “cognitive load,” the mental strain that comes from processing information. Their work focused on sustainability ads, where claims about emissions, sourcing or recycled materials can be difficult for shoppers to verify quickly.

How the experiments worked

The researchers ran three experiments involving Instagram-style ads for eco-friendly products, according to Pittman. In each test, half of the participants first spent 30 seconds scrolling on Instagram, while the rest did not.

After that, all participants saw an Instagram post from a sustainable brand. The products varied by study: laundry detergent sheets, an eco-friendly phone case and a reusable water bottle, Pittman said.

The ads included environmental facts about the products. The researchers changed only the final line of the caption, Pittman wrote.

Some participants saw a message that invited them to judge the facts for themselves. Others saw a stronger conclusion saying the evidence made clear that the advertised brand was the best choice.

Participants who had not been placed under cognitive load preferred the less forceful version, Pittman said. Those who had just scrolled Instagram were more likely to prefer the ad that made the conclusion for them.

Credibility drove the response

Pittman said the study found credibility helped explain the shift. Under cognitive load, participants did not necessarily recognize that the ad was pushing them toward a conclusion; instead, the clear and confident wording made the brand seem more believable.

He compared the effect to how people may react to assertive advice during stressful moments. A forceful recommendation can feel irritating when someone has time to weigh the evidence, but reassuring when the person is overloaded, Pittman wrote.

The finding is especially relevant for sustainability marketing, according to Pittman, because many environmental claims are hard to inspect directly. A consumer can judge a shirt’s fit or a coffee’s taste, but claims about lower emissions or ethical sourcing often depend on trust in the brand.

Pittman said the research does not show that all bold ad claims work. In the experiments, the strong conclusions were paired with specific factual support, such as recycled materials, certifications or quantified emissions reductions.

Brands that make sweeping claims without evidence risk triggering skepticism or a backlash against the ad, Pittman wrote. He said the same effect has not yet been established for other complex categories, such as health claims or financial products.

Advice for shoppers

Pittman said consumers should be cautious about making important online purchases when tired or distracted. He identified late afternoon, later in the week and the period before major events as times when cognitive load may be higher.

The study’s practical takeaway, Pittman wrote, is to delay major buying decisions until a clearer moment. If a confident ad feels persuasive after a bout of scrolling, he said, that response may reflect a lowered guard as much as the strength of the product claim.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.