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By now, most people realize that there are fake signs of influence all over social media. Usually, this comes in the form of inflated follower counts, fake reviews, and paid-to-hire bots leaving behind likes on social media posts. But just because this still exists on social media doesn’t make it right.
The FTC cracks down on fake social media followers
And, in fact, all of this fake influence on social media is now technically illegal. Back in 2019, regulators and lawmakers cracked down on a Florida-based business called Devumi that was making millions of dollars by selling fake followers on social media to anyone who was willing to pay. The FTC fined the business $2.5 million, and the New York Attorney General extracted a $50,000 settlement from the company. The case went down as setting a precedent in the social media world. The message was clear: the government can and will take legal action if companies are selling fake followers and likes online.
But does that make selling followers and likes illegal? Strictly speaking, no. The FTC was specifically going after a company selling “fake” followers and “fake” likes. As they saw it, this was a deceptive marketing practice. It would be similar to publishing fake reviews of a product, or somehow making it appear that a product was backed by someone or some organization when it was not. That’s the job of the FTC – to protect the U.S. consumer against these types of deceptive marketing practices.
Ways to grow your social media influence online
But there’s still a gray area when it comes to selling influence online. You don’t need to look far to find all sorts of companies that promise to boost follower counts, or to help a company become more popular online. There are companies that promise to find “real” social media users willing to follow you, and to find “real” social media users willing to engage with your content. While that might strike you as being a bit shady, it’s not technically illegal, as long as “real” accounts are being used.
If you think about it, this process of recruiting new followers is only a step or two removed from hiring a marketing specialist to help promote your business. Numbers still matter, and no business wants to look like nobody is following it, or that nobody cares about their content. So long as the process of follower acquisition is organic, and does not involve armies of fake bots, what’s the harm?
Rules of the road for small business owners
This is in no way to suggest that you might want to dip your toes into the follower acquisition game if you are a small business owner. For one, the community guidelines for many social media platforms specifically say that you can not buy and sell followers. They are also very clear that you can not use bots to inflate your following counts. If you are caught doing this, they can restrict, suspend, or even ban your account.
So let the 2019 example of that Florida-based business be your guide in this. If you are even thinking about adding fake followers and fake likes, you could end up in a lot of trouble. Far better to play by the rules and follow established best practices to save yourself any heartbreak later.
