Shakira's 100 million Facebook fans - does size really matter?
Kartik Dayanand Boddapati
Architect by qualification, storyteller by passion, marketing and communications leader by profession.
News came out recently that Shakira is now the most liked celebrity on Facebook with over a 100 million fans. That's a gigantic number by any means. Today I also came to know that Mexico City, Cairo and Istanbul are the top three cities from where the likes originated.
Moment I heard the word Istanbul, my mind started spinning. Because Istanbul was the reason why I wrote a blog post in July 2013 about fake followers online. I think this is a good time to re-share that post. Not taking away anything from the true popularity of Shakira, but what you are going to read next is something to ponder about. Let me know what you think...
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Social media following: Don't fake it if you can't make it!
Modified from a July 2013 post at minduread.com
Face'booth’ Capturing - I came across this term for the first time on a TV news debate earlier today evening. A term inspired by the concept of booth capturing - a process by which fake votes are posted and elections are won based on those inflated numbers.
Something similar is happening on Social Media; politicians it seems are buying fake followers on Twitter and Facebook to show how powerful and influential they are. Latest example being that of the Chief Minister of Rajasthan (India) - Ashok Gehlot seeing a sudden rise in the number of likes on his Facebook page, and funnily the majority of those likes coming from Istanbul out of all the places.
All those likes from Istanbul are obviously purchased, maybe available at a cheaper cost than other locations. Leave alone knowing who Ashok Gehlot is, none of those followers would even be able to point out where India is on the world map. I don’t blame these politicians. They are just trying to Fake it when they can’t Make it.
But the reality of social networks is something closer to what you are going to see next, and the sooner everyone realizes it, the better it is. Watch the video below:
If you have seen the clip you really don’t need to read any further. If you still insist, I shall elaborate.
“I brought more soldiers than you did”
This scene is no different from many Facebook Pages and Twitter accounts out there that have purchased fans. Most don’t realize that in their quest to have large armies of fans (likes and followers); they have built nothing but an ineffective army similar to the ones the Arcadians brought with them to war.
One could have just 300 followers or less but be able to wield more influence than someone with 3 million paid followers. It is time our high and mighty realize that Social Media is a beast very different from what they have dealt with in the real world until now. My sincere request to them would be...
Don't fake it if you can't make it, because...
Size does not matter online, only quality matters!
Cheers!!!
Kartik Dayanand Boddapati
Read my blog: www.minduread.com
Also catch me on Twitter: @KartikDayanand & Facebook: Mind u Read