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Follow Me - I'll Bribe You!

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Categories: Humor and sarcasm; Experiences and daily life; Human nature

Word count/read time: 476 words; 2 minutes

Keeping track of myriad social media platforms is overwhelming. On average we spend many hours each day tending to them whether flicking through tweets, pictures and doomscrolling or posting our own filth.

Crafters, jewelers, knitters, woodworkers, and the like have a place to show their wares to an unlimited audience. Mom-and-pops theoretically have access to the same people as the big stores now. Gone are the days of the covert neighborhood expert as they can unleash their knowledge globally with a mouse click.

For businesses, having many followers conveys a sense of purpose, professionalism, and popularity. Peer pressure and herd mentality convince cyber-passersby to click their mouse and see what's happening. People feel comfortable joining a crowd or gathering.

There are downsides. Likes and followers take precedence over content and quality. Fake news, trolls, and influencers oh my! It is backwards to what's important but it is the new paradigm. People no longer think for themselves - it's less stressful to be told what to think and how to act.

Which brings up my point: When honest tactics fail there's always bribery. While giveaways offer potential marketing benefits, how does it help the millions of non-commercial entities who have nothing relevant to offer? It's the allure of being an influencer exacerbated by the yapper's lack of self-respect. It'd be less pitiful if they outright begged for recognition!

This need for likes and followers reached a fever with a free new social media site comprised of bots (website since deactivated but an article about it can be found here). You could post away crazily knowing there would be thousands of likes. You'd feel like a rockstar with all these followers, reposts, and replies...by bots. Members selected options to control the comments and frequency to make the charade more convincing.

How deprived (depraved?) must one be to buy into this? Wait, they also had a PAID option that boosted ratings even more! It's not like the company was being deceptive. Still, people paid to be recognized and congratulated by bots. The placebo effect works even in cyberspace.

Similarly, some hire a product placement company who charges a ridiculous fee for getting their items on TV, movies, etc. Sellers hope to recoup their exorbitant expenses by charging more than they should solely because its facsimile appeared on some no-name show.

Anyone willing to spend heavy cash, skilled or not, could do the same. Show me how they sold it for an inflated price AND got it on the show without paying for the privilege and I'd be impressed. Though it must give the seller a sense of wannabe fame, inferring it is merit-based is pedantic.

My stuff has made it to the big screen on its own merits. This is the extent of my bragging. And no, you can't buy it and I won't divulge where to see it.

Posted by M: August 11, 2020

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