US Army uses social media influencers for new recruitment strategy

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The U.S. Army has increasingly turned to social media and influencers for recruitment — a strategy that has drawn both attention and criticism, according to The Guardian .

One of the most prominent examples is social media influencer Steven Kelly , who has more than 1.3 million Instagram followers. In July, Kelly, who is a civilian, posted photos of himself wearing an Army combat uniform during basic training exercises as part of a sponsored partnership with the " @ goarmy " account on the platform .

Kelly posted two partnered posts with "@goarmy." His post on July 8 was captioned in part, "I partnered with @goarmy to take part in Basic Combat Training. I came in unsure but left with a newfound strength and confid