Buying likes certainly stretches the concept of what is considered ethical or moral.
In this particular case who wins or loses?
The brand or an individual benefits because it helps boost their profile.
The business makes money for increasing the brand engagement.
The bot developers make money.
The people who spend time doing random clicks get money for their effort.
Who loses?
The other brands or people who put their money on people or companies by looking at such metrics.
The people who get overawed with the count of followers and associate the account with popularity and reliability and may end up becoming a part of the herd or transacting with the brand.
There is definitely a reputation risk to the brand or company that engages in this practice , if this becomes public knowledge. So my key takeaway as a risk manager would be to advise the business not to indulge in such practices.
Buying likes certainly stretches the concept of what is considered ethical or moral.
In this particular case who wins or loses?
The brand or an individual benefits because it helps boost their profile.
The business makes money for increasing the brand engagement.
The bot developers make money.
The people who spend time doing random clicks get money for their effort.
Who loses?
The other brands or people who put their money on people or companies by looking at such metrics.
The people who get overawed with the count of followers and associate the account with popularity and reliability and may end up becoming a part of the herd or transacting with the brand.
There is definitely a reputation risk to the brand or company that engages in this practice , if this becomes public knowledge. So my key takeaway as a risk manager would be to advise the business not to indulge in such practices.