The onslaught of comments continues over on that old video. Well, maybe on onslaught is dramatic for 600 comments and 50,000 views. But it's for a completely non relevant six year old video. And I couldn't figure out why "people" were still commenting.
Mr S. said I should just turn the comments off. But I started to find it somewhat fascinating. For instance one time about a week ago someone actually recognized the date on the video, but none of the comments showed any realization they were all being tards. Next. No dissension in the comments. That never happens. 100% slanted one way. No flame wars. And the comments were all saying the same thing but worded slightly differently. Not one commenter reacted to another.
So I kinda think it's all bots now. But I can't figure out a motive. I don't get any money for any videos. And money is always the answer to all questions.
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I've been telling you the whole time what's going on: this is paid astroturfing.
ReplyDeleteBut since you might have missed it, here's why: this is about tweaking search engines, not so much about your video.
These people want no uncontested space that will show up in search engines on specific topics.
That's all this is, and that's all this ever was.
If you want to make the Internet a better place, you could report all of the accounts on YouTube that are making these posts for their activity ... before you get rid of comments entirely, of course.
No I didn't miss it. I just thought you were a little batshit crazy the first couple of times. ;) Now I don't though.
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand why they are astroturfing on a video that literally makes no one money. What is the financial motive?
Honestly... I try to refrain from conspiracy theories - but I wondered if this was to inflate participation numbers.
It's not financial motives that you need to think about, it's political motives ...
ReplyDeleteWhoever's doing this doesn't want any uncontested space for certain ideas, and they'll pay for Turing Humans to do this.
I don't actually believe it's mostly bots doing this -- there are plenty of cheap humans to do this kind of work, and some of them might even like it.
They're creating activity so there will be more observable presence for their ideas within search engines.
This is the SEO version of shouting really loudly in a lot of directions so you can get enough attention to make the front page of some search engine's news aggregator.
Also, here at Capital of Texas Refugee Industries, we make the finest batshit, but we only sell it to consenting adults. :-)
(laughs)
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I think it's bots is because 80% of the comments are one or two sentences. Slightly longer than twitter but not too much. Syntax seems good for now, but they are mostly so short I think it's easy for them to be bots. If it's humans they are extremely, extremely boring. And don't humans know the best way to get exposure is with a good flame war?