Instagram Vending Machine

1 April 2018

How Popular Is That Instagram Post? No, Really? Meet The “Likes” Vending Machine…

by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Influencer Marketing Instructor…

Although it’s April Fools Day, this is no joke.

Everyone knows that most social media data can be faked. Likes, followers, views, even comments — name it, you can buy it. What most people don’t realize is how easy it is to do so…

If you’re in Moscow, just pop a few rubles into a vending machine and — da! — instant Instagram popularity, as journalist Vasily Sonkin shows you here..

So remember: never base “influence” on a number of easy actions, like “likes.” Look for follower actions that take real effort, such as THOUGHTFUL comments, and compare that to the overall number of followers or likes. That’s still not proof of true influence, but it’s one way to gauge whether a person’s followers were bought like so many Snickers bars.

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Freddy is the Founder & Creative Strategist of Atomic Tango. He also teaches graduate-level marketing communication courses at the University of Southern California (go Trojans!), shoots pool somewhat adequately, and herds cats. Freddy received his BA from Harvard and his MBA from USC.

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