The practice of acquiring inexpensive opinions artificially inflates engagement metrics on video-sharing platforms. These acquisitions can range from generic affirmations to seemingly relevant remarks, all intended to create an illusion of popularity and activity on a given video. For example, instead of earning authentic reactions organically, a video creator might choose to pay for hundreds of comments like “Great video!” or “Interesting content.”
Boosting perceived engagement through artificial means is seen by some as a shortcut to attracting genuine viewers. The rationale is that videos with numerous comments may appear more credible or interesting to potential audiences, leading to increased organic viewership and subscriber growth. Historically, this practice emerged as a response to the competitive landscape of online content creation, where standing out from the crowd can be challenging.
