In the world we see ourselves; appearance can be deceiving. A social media account with millions of followers seems influential. A video that goes viral looks like a massive win, a post or video with hundreds and thousands of likes and reactions. It may look as if everyone goes with your idea. Here comes the big-picture question: what if the fame or popularity isn’t real?
You are living in a generation where bots and AI do almost everything for us. Most times when I come across some post with hundreds and thousands of likes and reactions, I am not surprised because with the help of bots and fake engagement services, it is so easy to create fake influence. There are apps where people go and buy followers, views, comments, and likes. Within a few minutes an account without likes or followers can look like a major account in the space.
Here comes the main question: Is this harmless, or is it causing more damage than we realize?
Seeing this prompt, I have to ask some of my friends to know their thoughts on this topic. Some of them said that fake engagement doesn’t hurt anyone at all; according to them, it is just numbers on a screen. It doesn’t hurt anyone physically because it is just to buy followers and also boost views of videos. It is a way of getting more traffic and attracting attention to their page. Once you have hundreds and thousands of followers and views, you will be noticed.
While some of my friends said there is a consequence and it is deception when brands are looking for people who will promote their products, they always look out for influencers with a lot of engagement and audience, but if those numbers are fake, the company has wasted money on the wrong person, and the company may end up not getting anything in return. To be honest, since I discovered this fake engagement, I judge credibility from a different angle. Previously, when I saw thousands of followers, I assumed that such a person was knowledgeable and trustworthy for them to have such followers. Many of us have been deceived by the number; we have believed in products that are reliable because there were thousands of engagements.
You see this fake engagement; there is this pressure it creates for honest creators, more especially if they are influencers that put in their energy and resources and someone who just started content creating has more viewers than them; they may be tempted to buy fake engagement to keep up.
Do you think that buying fake followers, views, and likes should be considered a crime? Most people are of the opinion that it is a business and not a crime. Orders are of the opinion that if fake engagement is used to deceive advertisers, customers, and investors, legal consequences can be justified. Must social media prohibit people that practice fake engagement?
All images is generated with ChatGPT
This is my entry on the ongoing weekly content #hivelearners #hl-w225e1 topic; it’s all fake.
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