Weibo users just went up in arms about this because of the fact that charity in China doesn't really have great oversight. Because of While May May, the Red Cross saw a 60% decrease in donations. Now in China, if you want to purchase a bunch of fake followers to big up your profile or like your music or brand, you turn to a BlackPR company.
To Bot or Not? That’s the big question for Data Scientist Gilad Lotan. His research suggests we may be damaging our online reputations if we choose not to play the fake follower game. Jason Q Ng, author of the book Blocked on Weibo, tells us why the Chinese government hates fake bots and why they targeted Black PR companies last summer. And your host imagines a future were humans are forced to shower their new Bot Overlords with unwavering attention. *********Click on the image for the whole story about this week’s installment**********