You stumble across a heartbreaking image on your Facebook feed: a young girl, smiling, but the text underneath tells of her tragic death. You want to show your sympathy, press “Like” or “Sad”. But did you know that you might be playing into the hands of someone who is playing with the feelings of millions?

What exactly is like farming?

Like farming is not a new phenomenon. It describes a practice of creating Facebook posts or pages to generate reactions, comments and shares. The goal? Often for monetary gain or, in more dangerous cases, the distribution of malware.

The case of the little girl Pia

Pia, a girl who actually passed away in 2020 , became the unwanted face of this dark internet trend.

Her story touched thousands - but now she is being abused by strangers who exploit her story and her struggle.

FAKE

MIMIKAMA

Emotional abuse in the digital world

The fact that such postings work shows how powerful emotions are in digital communication. But it's also about how easily we can be manipulated when our feelings are involved. Real, honest stories can get lost in the sea of ​​fakes and manipulation.

Protect yourself from like farming

  1. Be skeptical: Not everything shared on Facebook or other social media is true.
  2. Check the source: A quick look at the page or profile a post comes from can reveal a lot.
  3. Get informed: Organizations like Mimikama offer helpful resources to identify and combat fake news and like farming.

The big picture

In a world where viral content is king, it's easy to fall for stories like this. It is up to us to be vigilant and question the practices we see in our news feed every day.

Conclusion: A conscious click for a more honest digital world

The story of the girl Pia shows us that despite our best intentions, we can be manipulated. It is a wake-up call to navigate our digital worlds critically and consciously. A like may seem small, but it has the power to spread both good and bad.


Interested in more fact checks and tips on how to protect yourself in the digital world? Sign up for the Mimikama newsletter and find out more about our media education offerings. Because knowledge protects!

Also read: The sneaky “click” – How new waves of SMS fraud are putting your bank account at risk

Source:

Facebook


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )