When Numbers Lie: Fake Followers, Real Damage

The first time I heard that followers, views, comments, reviews and any other activities done on social media could be achieved by a bot, buying fake followers. I was so eager to know how it works and if it's even possible, because I have always known and had the consciousness that things like this could lead to prohibition or restriction of accounts, especially when it's used to do some criminal acts.

On the other hand, I think it could be a source of relief if used with the right intention. Considering how difficult it could be for people to be noticed on the media, it has its benefits and advantages to the society, but the disadvantage weighs the advantage.

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In our current world, I have noticed that having likes, views, interactive comments, and multiple streams are often seen as an indicator of credibility, success, given popularity, and even expertise in whatever we do. Also, it's also sad, because this has made the media full of artificial engagement, we can no longer differentiate between real and fake engagement on posts.

From the fake followers and constant likes people get from robots, to the generated comments and even streams, many people are willing to create their own world of influence on their own rather than earn it.

Another issue that I have with these actions done with boys is that the fake engagement makes the hardwork and effort of honest and hardworking creators look useless and unnoticed. You can't compare quality and engagement gotten from both to that of a human; the use of bots to get engagement makes the struggle uneven, and neglects the effort and growth of other creators too.

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Also, these bot networks can be used to execute scam tasks, even rumors , political Propaganda, by deceiving people and pushing out
Narrative that could endanger others. The use of bot could cause more harm than expected.

I believe that some of this os fo provide more useful services, such as customer support/ services, news updates, weather alerts/ forecast , or content moderation. The concern is with bots designed to deceive or manipulate public perception.

Also, buying fake followers is not always a criminal offense. Using inflated metrics to obtain sponsorships, investors, customers, or other financial benefits may amount to fraud or deceptive business practices, depending on the jurisdiction.

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The answer to the question; should this practice be criminalized? To me, the answer to that question depends on the context. Inasmuch as purchasing/buying the fake followers for personal satisfaction may be unethical and a crime., it can be considered a criminal act if the intention was harmful and to steal from others . if the fake identity is used to scam, obtain/ gain sponsorships under pretence, deceive and lure into false adverts, extort money, influence elections or used as propaganda, or misrepresent a business for financial gain, the behavior moves beyond vanity and is clearly an act of fraud. At this point it should be considered a fraudulent and criminal act.
Verification and authentication should be a very important access on the media

I have realized that success most times is measured less by genuine influence and effort, it's now by creating the most convincing appearance of influence and being popularity. The effects of using these bots are broader than we think. We should try as much to be real to ourselves and chase success with patience.