Do you have an active Facebook account with more than 10 friends, a filled-in profile with both profile and cover photos? If so, have we got an opportunity for you!
In a story currently making the rounds among Japanese Twitter users, it seems that SoftBank (the cellphone carrier that recently made a bid to buy Sprint in the U.S.) was seeking “Likes” on Facebook, and didn’t mind paying for them.
The unusual job posting on website EnTameNetto has since been closed, unfortunately, though the price of a single Facebook “like” was worth a grand total of: 65 yen (about US$0.65). If you managed to click on 10 likes within an hour, you’d have 650 yen (about $6.43), which is less than minimum wage in Japan.
So, what’s the big deal? Surely every company is out there buying a few “likes,” right?
Well, one issue to consider is the value of likes. The more a company has, the more customers and consumers trust the company. But if a company is out buying up “likes” willy-nilly, it calls the very fabric of their trustworthiness into question!! (Or something like that.)
Japanese Twitter users had the following to say about this incredibly disheartening news.
- I LOLed.
- Eh? The posting is closed? Darn it…
- Let’s sell our souls to SoftBank for 65 yen!
- Is this real??
- Hahahaha! I “like” this!
- I wish we knew more about how this all happened…
- Yikes! This is pretty terrible!
- SoftBank is the one buying likes for 65 yen a piece? LOLOLOLOL
- What the heck??
- So work like this exists? Crazy…
So, just how many “likes” were bought? It looks the listing was for a whopping… 72.
SoftBank currently has 940,000 “likes” on Facebook. Which makes this even more baffling.
As we see it, there are three possibilities here. One: all of SoftBank’s precious “likes” were bought, and this is just the first time it’s gotten out in public. Two: this is the first time they’ve bought “likes”… Just to try it out, you know? Three: Facebook, SoftBank, and Twitter are all part of an elaborate conspiracy created by Prime Minister Abe to improve the economy.
What do you guys think? Is buying “likes” a big deal? Or is it ultimately irrelevant?
Source: Byoukan Sunday
Additional images: Wikipedia (SoftBank logo)
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