• BountifulEggnog [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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      11 months ago

      Advertisers buy the accounts, and use them to shill products. You know those posts where some product is being highlighted or is even just visible, someone comes along and asks what it is, and then someone links it? It’s so they can do that. Maybe even have a few sock puppets to talk about how much they like it. If these were all fresh accounts, the scheme is easy to see through. If you look through their post history and instead find a 5 year old account, with hundreds of comments (good comments, upvoted comments), you or anyone else is less likely to think it’s an advertisement. It just looks like a normal user.

      And reddit doesn’t care, because it’s more content for the real users to browse, and to show off for an investor.

      • ratboy [they/them]@hexbear.net
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        11 months ago

        That’s so fucking weird. I know there are bot accounts, especially with how many beautiful women seem to want my hot hot body on there or whatever, but to have them become so convincing with a huge post history is creepy as fuck. Wonder how many bots I’ve talked to

    • Currently_on_Nitrous [comrade/them, any]@hexbear.net
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      11 months ago

      Astroturfing or advertising. They can generate a bunch of medium to high karma accounts with genuine looking post history, then sign a deal with an advertising firm or lobby group to make posts on their behalf. They’ll steal a bunch of posts like OP’s then start posting stuff like “Biden is actually the most progressive president” and fill the comment section with some propaganda. This site sells a range of services.