Quick Fame: A Myth
For many social media users, becoming viral has become a life goal. It doesn’t matter how unfair the means, they are willing to use whatever method they can to achieve fame. Looking at the YouTube trending page, many of the trending videos we see are of unknown YouTubers, and the views, subscribers, and likes of the videos differ significantly. We get a clear picture of “cheat codes” in this context.
Several methods are used to cheat the algorithm so that YouTubers gain followers and views quickly. One of the most famous methods of buying fake followers is to buy them online. You can find several online sites providing YouTubers with a choice of packages depending on what level of engagement they need and how much they want to spend. Some sites allow you to buy up to 1000 followers while others do not have any restrictions as far as money is concerned. Numerous illegal rackets buy and sell fake followers and views to social media influencers in this area.
In addition to taking advantage of ‘ Adwords,’ new creators are also taking unfair, unlawful advantage of it. Ads can be placed on your YouTube video just by investing money in this feature. You can target audiences from any location with the help of it and make them watch your video. Since there is no restriction on the location, nowadays, cheaters do not play those ads in India. But they do play them in countries that have a lower price per view than India. Further, they display those views of these ads on their actual video, which makes it a trend.
However, there are several drawbacks to this as well. Although these YouTubers have millions of subscribers and views, no one knows who they are. Their popularity has no lasting impact, and they don’t have any audience retention.
YouTubers who are new always don’t need to cheat the algorithm. It is not uncommon for some celebrities and famous influencers to buy fake views to maintain their popularity.
There are so many cheating ways on an algorithm that it would cross infinity if we considered them all. A specific instance caught the attention of many. Two years ago, a very famous Indian rapper bought crores of fake views for more than 70 lakhs rupees. Upon questioning by police, he confessed to purchasing followers to set a world record.
As a whole, the Internet has both positive and negative aspects, and social media platforms like YouTube aren’t an exception. The aphorism “All that glitters is not gold” is valid in all seriousness.
Credits: Rupali Das — Team E-Cell ABV-IIITM Gwalior
