Contents
What is social media manipulation?
Manipulation in social media is the process of artificially increasing account activity, which includes attracting followers, likes, and comments on posts. This phenomenon has become common among users and businesses seeking to quickly boost their popularity and visibility in the digital space. However, manipulation can have both positive and negative consequences for the account.
Methods of manipulation
There are several main methods of manipulation that are actively used in social media:
1. Joint contests
Accounts can organize giveaways and contests, encouraging users to follow each other or leave likes. Winners are chosen randomly and receive prizes, which attracts new followers.
2. Giveaways
Bloggers often hold contests where they offer gifts. To participate, users must follow a certain number of profiles of the giveaway sponsors, leading to a significant increase in follower count.
3. Use of bots
There is a possibility of attracting bots—programs that create artificial accounts to increase activity. These bots can leave comments, like posts, and write one-word responses with emojis. However, combating bots remains a challenging task, and if someone decides to inflate your Telegram channel with several thousand bots, it will be difficult for you to deal with it.
Problems of manipulation
The main problems associated with manipulation arise after the end of contests and giveaways. During this time, users often unsubscribe in large numbers, which negatively affects the account's statistics. Those who remain often do not engage with the content, leading to decreased engagement.
There is also a risk that the account will be penalized. Social networks may stop or significantly reduce the visibility of posts even for existing followers. The presence of manipulation can be checked using specialized services like Livedune, which provides statistics on bloggers and their activity over the years.
Conclusion
Manipulating activity can be a useful strategy for quickly attracting attention, especially for newcomers in marketing and SMM. However, it is important to understand that bots will not become real customers and may scare away potential followers. More experienced professionals avoid manipulation as it creates only the appearance of presence and can lead to disappointment in blogging. Moreover, to maintain a healthy and active account, it is better to use methods that promote real interaction and user engagement.