A new type of spam has emerged on social media, which has already been dubbed “gentle” spam. It is especially noticeable on Threads, which is integrated with Instagram and can be displayed on Facebook if the user has a related account for both platforms, Komersant ukrainskyi
reports
At first glance, these are ordinary comments that begin with words that users perceive as addressing themselves personally. Often, such messages contain compliments, invitations to friendship or friendly flirting. For example, you can see comments like: “You look incredible”, or “You are so talented, we could work together great”, or “Your page is a real inspiration, let’s be friends!”.
An ordinary user, seeing such a message in the Threads feed displayed on Instagram or Facebook, perceives it as a personal message and therefore actively responds – thanking, asking, clarifying.
As a result, the post is liked, and new users follow the page.
However, these pleasant and cultured comments hide a new form of spam.
The main goal of such comments is to draw users’ attention to a specific page or post. Here’s how it works:
- Interactivity: When a user sees a comment that looks like a personalised message, they automatically start responding. This can be a reply to the comment, a thank you, or even a clarification of the content of the message. The more users engage in a dialogue, the more activity grows under a particular post or on the page as a whole.
- Algorithmic approach: Social networks such as Instagram and Facebook are built on algorithms that favour content with high interaction. The more comments, likes, and shares a post receives, the higher its chances of being shown to other users. This leads to an increase in the visibility and reach of the post or page.
- Reputation effect: A higher number of followers and active comments creates an impression of popularity and trustworthiness of the page. This can encourage new users to subscribe or participate in the discussion. Thus, the page begins to grow in followers and reach, even if the initial comments were not entirely honest or aimed at manipulating attention.
Once the page has gained the required number of followers and reach, its owners can start promoting their products or services. These can often be online courses, trainings, or other forms of education sold directly through the platform. Users who initially signed up through “gentle” spam can become potential customers.
Thus, through the use of friendly and positive comments, the audience is attracted, the reach of publications is increased, and ultimately the page is monetised.
This approach to spam is much less aggressive than traditional forms and may even seem useful or pleasant. However, users should be careful not to fall for such tricks to avoid becoming victims of manipulation.
Threads
Threads is a social network owned by the American company Meta Platforms. The application is designed to work in conjunction with Instagram: users must have an Instagram account to register. Threads is a direct competitor to Twitter, as it allows users to post text and images, reply to other people’s posts or like their content.
The development of Threads began in January 2023, when it was known as Project 92. The social network reached 80 million users in the first 48 hours, breaking the record for fastest user registrations previously set by ChatGPT.
Threads accounts are tightly integrated with Instagram accounts. Threads and Instagram accounts share the same username, profile picture, and name, and users can only change these details via Instagram.