You’ve probably already brushed up on your social media lingo from our first article “Social Media Terms You Keep Hearing – Part 1” [link]. But did you know there’s a whole other side of social media - a darker, underworld! [Cue sinister laughter] But never fear! Here are 8 social media terms that will get you acquainted with the underworld of social media without having to join the dark side.
Astroturfing
The practice of creating fake support, specifically by trying to make it seem like there is grassroots (naturally occurring) support. On X (Twitter), for example, fake followers can be used to follow or reposts showing support that doesn’t really exist. Another example would be faked positive reviews of products or businesses.
Black Hat (Marketer)
A type of marketer, specifically in search engine optimization (SEO), that will use techniques that are not generally accepted by search engines such as trying to incorporate unrelated key words to increase a company’s page rank; black hat techniques can lead to the site being banned from a search engine. SEO techniques are sometimes referred to on a “coloured hat” system (similar to hackers), with other types being referred to as “white hat” (techniques that follow search engine guidelines) or “grey hat” (techniques that can fall in the middle).
Bots
A software application that is also known as a web robot, a bot is used to perform automated tasks online such as following X (Twitter) or Instagram users (usually scouring for certain keywords when deciding who to follow). A bot can complete these tasks at a much faster rate than a human being. Bot followers are a huge problem for marketers, since they don’t represent real people or organizations and can grossly inflate follower numbers.
Click Bait
The technique of using sensational social media headlines to encourage people to click on a link. The headlines may or may not be directly connected to the information they link to. An example of click bait is a headline that reads "5 ways to increase your click through rate - number 4 will blow you away!".
Like Farming
A system of generating fake Facebook likes using bots that represent fake profiles. Businesses can pay “like farms” to generate fake likes for their pages or they can purchase existing blank pages that have already been populated with large numbers of fake likes. This is a practise generally seen as dishonest since it can lead to inflated and misleading numbers.
Phishing
The illegal practice of trying to obtain someone’s personal information (such as passwords or financial information) by pretending to be a trustworthy and legitimate company; phishing is commonly done through email and social media.
Retargeting
A targeted advertising technique that involves tracking people and showing them relevant ads based on their online behaviour (including visiting a site or social media page or performing a search). Retargeting is relatively inexpensive and can lead to greater conversion as advertisements are directed at customers who have already shown some interest for the brand or product.
Trolling
The practice of starting a confrontational social media conversation and trying to stir the pot. Trolls lead to heated arguments within an online setting.
