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Saturday 27 September 2014

The real story behind Facebook ‘likes‘


There might not be much point paying for Facebook ads or "like farms" to increase the page followings of companies or campaigns, a new study has found

Pop star Shakira performing on 'Wetten dass ?' TV Programme in  Salzburg, Germany earlier this year

If Facebook likes are anything to go by, Shakira is the world’s favourite person (closely followed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Eminem), Coca-Cola is the world’s top brand, Vin Diesel is more loved than Harry Potter and the Yes campaign won in the Scottish independence referendum.
At least one of those things is not true. In fact, when it comes to Facebook likes, quantity is no indication of quality - or even reality - according to new research from University College London and other institutions.
In what the MIT Technology Review called “the first systematic investigation into the nature of like farms and how they operate,” researchers found that the likes paid for by companies to boost their Facebook followings are likely to be fake, even the ones that are real aren’t worth much, and there’s no indication that any of them are human.
The findings suggest that Facebook might not be an ideal medium for effective advertising, and could have implications for the social network's targeted adverts and promotion sales.





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