• jaybone@lemmy.zip
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    6 days ago

    What does the comment history look like on those accounts? I’m guessing when you pay for the spam package, they create fake comment histories for the bot accounts.

    • megopie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      6 days ago

      Often times the services have a fleet of accounts, they have them do reposts of old popular posts with titles and some content rephrased, then some of the rest of the fleet copies the top comments and rephrases those and posts them below.

      This builds a history of realistic and semi popular looking posts in a way that is fairly easy to automate . Anyone who looks closely could potentially figure out a given account, or even cluster of accounts, is farmed, but it takes effort and time to prove it, more effort and time than it takes for them to spool up another batch of bots.

      • Sabata@ani.social
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        6 days ago

        They also buy active accounts with high karma and age. I got offered $100 in BTC for my account one time. I guess they did not look at how horny my comments were.

          • Sergio@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            Well let’s see… first we gotta figure out the analogy:

            • carriers = posts promoting a product
            • carrier escorts = posts commenting on and upvoting the “carrier” post
            • torpedos/dive-bombs = bot-delivered replies that disparage “carrier” posts. They “hit” if they get highly upvoted
            • fighters = bots that downvote carrier-fleet posts and upvote torpedo/dive-bomb replies
            • carrier “screen” fighters = bots that post attacks on enemy fighters and munitions
            • carrier AA fire = bots that downvote attacks by enemy fighter bots

            The analogy is still a little clumsy… are “carriers” posts, or are they the bots that make the posts? etc. But a Midway-like battle would involve a modest but strategically-positioned product-promoting community that is about to be surprised-attacked by a rival, who will make several posts disparaging the product. But the attack is identified through corporate espionage. The posts are hard to find, so the “fighters” have to search for them but ultimately they do, and after fierce up- and down-voting, the attacking posts are deeply downvoted.

    • PotatoLibre@feddit.it
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      6 days ago

      I was just reminding a discussion with a guy about Reddit, who thinks Reddit is getting close to the real dead internet theory, just bots talkimg about whatever.

      • user_name@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        I’ve definitely had moments where I found myself in some random r/ and realized I wasn’t sure if this was bot spam or actual humans. It’s pretty dissociating to actually fully internalize the dead Internet theory.

    • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.org
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      6 days ago

      While [insert ad company name] products are a little more expensive, the quality and customer service are unmatched. It evens out when you use the [insert ad company name] reward card which gives 5% off each purchase.

    • CalipherJones@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      I’ve seen douchenozzles on LinkedIn talking about how they make fake reddit threads to promote their product. They acted like it was such a good thing too.

  • veganbtw@lemmy.ml
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    4 days ago

    ITT: People who have never been to a Manhattan grocery store

    Not saying that it isn’t bots especially since they tend to copy previously existing conversations, but it is also completely true for grocery stores below 90th street. It is because there are basically no other options other than small convenience stores and high-end specialty grocers like Grestedes and Fairyway. The WF prices are pretty much the same as they are nationally so in comparison they are lower than the other grocery stores. Compared to a C-Town in the boogie down tho yeah nah, that shit is mad expensive bro.

    TLDR; Manhattan sucks

  • S_H_K@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    4 days ago

    Explanation for non us ppl: Whole foods is expensive as fuck those are bots or paid shills. Hence the Natural joke.

  • Natanael@infosec.pub
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    5 days ago

    A reminder that “cashback” credit cards are paid for by big fees on transactions which the store pays, forcing them to raise prices. It’s literally anticompetitive

    • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
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      4 days ago

      And debit and cash use still pay this price without the benefit. Literally taking their money and giving it to credit card user as reward. There is no justification for credit cards. Banks should do credit margins and transactions should be extremely cheap under a common system.

      • WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
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        4 days ago

        Eh, for a lot of businesses, the few percent they pay in card fees is worth it to avoid handling large quantities of cash. Cash is a pain in the ass to actually work with on a large scale. Collecting it, counting it, securing it, keeping employees and random criminals from stealing it, etc. Plus lots of cash allows employees to steal from both the employer or the customer by giving bad change deliberately.

        Not that businesses shouldn’t accept cash, but there is a reason a lot of them don’t want to mess with it. It’s an enormous hassle.

    • Rob T Firefly@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      This does not apply so much in the Whole Foods/Prime example; the store, the membership, and the credit card are all Amazon products. The consumer is paying Amazon for the privilege of paying Amazon to pay Amazon.

  • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
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    6 days ago

    Making extensive use of food delivery services is a trait i unapologetically use to filter people out of my life. (Unless they have medical reasons…)

    • windowsphoneguy@feddit.org
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      6 days ago

      Why? I know several young families that just don’t have the time or a car to get groceries for the whole week, delivery services help them a lot

      • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        How can you not have time to buy groceries? It’s not that big of a process.

        I understand not having a car though. Some places are not very walkable.

          • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            If you don’t have an hour to buy food a couple times a week, there’s something supremely fucked up about your priorities.

            • AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today
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              6 days ago

              It usually has nothing to do with priorities, and everything to do with the crushing weight of capitalism giving you no time for leisure or recreation otherwise. Have kids and two jobs? Good luck spending much time with them.

              I don’t personally use grocery delivery services but I can see their appeal and use.

              • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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                6 days ago

                I do have kids and two jobs. I’m not sure what your point is. Half the time I use grocery store runs as way to talk to my kids in an environment where they’re not distracted by technology.

                • AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today
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                  6 days ago

                  Your experience isn’t the same as everyone else’s, that’s my point. Just because you like to use a chunk of your free time to shop doesn’t mean everyone else does. Many in your situation would prefer to use that time at home with their kids (where you can also avoid technology after ordering if you desire, btw)