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What is Real and What is Fake?
In today's media climate, social media holds a prominent role in the marketing operations for companies and organizations across the globe. Companies oftentimes use social media to raise awareness of a product and in return enjoy an increase in sales. Organizations also create awareness for a certain cause or agenda in the hopes of fostering ample support for their group. However, the risk associated with this process is if the social media post creates viewer deception. Companies and organizations have been known to deceive viewers lately with the use of astroturfing, celebrity and microinfluencer endorsements, and computer generated virtual influencers.
Astroturfing
When one logs onto a social media platform to scroll through posts or contribute to an online chat, they are assuming that they are interacting with real human beings. Unfortunately with the ambiguity of the internet, it is increasingly easy for astroturf campaigns to spring up. Astroturfing is essentially the use of fake grassroots campaigns to create a perception of large-scale social petitioning. Companies and organizations will create fake accounts either ran by computer software or paid employees to influence public opinion. When a significant number of people are continuously speaking out on social media in support of or against a specific topic, it is going to have an impression on the average user.
Celebrity Influencers
Celebrities across the world are known for having extremely high social media follower counts, which allows them to reach a vast audience. This audience is not confined to any physical or time barrier. Companies and institutions have become aware of this phenomenon, and are now paying celebrities to endorse products on their social media accounts. The problem with this marketing technique is that celebrities will not always disclose that the post is an advertisement and that they are being paid for the endorsement. This deceives the viewer into thinking the celebrity has no other incentive to publish the post other than their interest in the product. Advocacy groups have passed legislation that now makes it necessary to include either the hashtag #ad or #paid in the endorsed post.
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| Photo courtesy of medium.com |
Microinfluencers
In the past, it was only acceptable for government or social leaders to hold the term "public figure." This has changed with the rise of social media and idolization of everyday citizens who portray an ideal life on Instagram. Microinfluencers are individuals who achieve fame through social media and are not previously known for any special skill. Followers are attracted to them due to their interesting or attractive lifestyles that the user would like to achieve. Like celebrity influencers, microinfluencers will partner with companies to endorse products or ideas. Microinfluencers are even more susceptible to not disclosing advertising partnerships due to their low profile. This is problematic when many viewers are of the impression that companies wouldn't partner with a common citizen, which is quite the opposite when the influencer has a high follower count.
Virtual Influencers
Social media influencers have proved to be efficient enough in marketing products that now tech companies are creating their own influencers, computer generated personalities. These "virtual influencers" are designed to imitate popular influencer accounts that target young, modern audiences. Every social media post of a virtual influencer features their computer generated self interacting in a perceptibly real environment, giving off the effect of a real life. Companies benefit by virtual influencers by endorsing products without having to pay an actual person for the work. This practice can be confusing for followers who are not able to distinguish between a real influencer and a computer generated one.
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