Den selvforstærkende effekt i at mange likes giver flere likes er en af de psykologiske grundsten i såvel celebritykultur som populisme. Her er beretningen om hvordan dette gøres til en forretning, så dem der har råd kan købe virtuelle followers fra firmaer, der også sælger likes, shares og retweets fra falske eller stjålne profiler.
“By some calculations, as many as 48 million of Twitter’s reported active users — nearly 15 percent — are automated accounts designed to simulate real people, though the company claims that number is far lower.
In November, Facebook disclosed to investors that it had at least twice as many fake users as it previously estimated, indicating that up to 60 million automated accounts may roam the world’s largest social media platform. These fake accounts, known as bots, can help sway advertising audiences and reshape political debates. They can defraud businesses and ruin reputations. Yet their creation and sale fall into a legal gray zone.”
“Devumi has more than 200,000 customers, including reality television stars, professional athletes, comedians, TED speakers, pastors and models. In most cases, the records show, they purchased their own followers. In others, their employees, agents, public relations companies, family members or friends did the buying. For just pennies each — sometimes even less — Devumi offers Twitter followers, views on YouTube, plays on SoundCloud, the music-hosting site, and endorsements on LinkedIn, the professional-network.”
Kilde: The Follower Factory – The New York Times
