High likes, views, and comments on social media often reflect marketing tactics or bots, not genuine popularity or trustworthiness.
PETALING JAYA: High likes, views and comments on social media no longer guarantee credibility, with online users increasingly viewing them as signs that content may have been artificially boosted.
IT manager Md Saiful Azri, 42, from Bangi, Selangor, said today’s large engagement numbers often reflect marketing budgets rather than genuine popularity.
“These days, a high like count usually just tells me someone has a big marketing budget or knows how to game the algorithm. Back in the day, a viral video felt like a genuine moment.
“Now it feels manufactured. I look more at who is saying it and whether the comments actually have substance.”
Saiful added that artificially boosted posts are often easy to spot.
“When the math doesn’t add up – like 50,000 likes but only three people talking – it feels dead. If the profiles are blank or the usernames look weird, it’s a giveaway. Real people are messy. A wall of ‘Great post!’ and heart emojis is almost certainly bot-driven.”
Human resources consultant Afiq Afendi, 32, from TTDI, Kuala Lumpur, said engagement should never be mistaken for credibility.
“Credibility should come from accurate and unbiased information. Likes and views only show preference, not truth,” he said, noting that fabricated engagement often follows identifiable patterns.
“You see templates being repeated in a very short time. It usually stays on the surface of a topic, not in depth.”
Public relations executive Deena Azuar, 27, said she now treats engagement as a reference point rather than proof.
“I used to assume high engagement meant something was good or trustworthy. But now, with how easy it is to buy engagement, I don’t rely on it.
“Sometimes there are thousands of likes but the comments feel copy-pasted. When that happens, I trust the brand or person less.”
Talent acquisition executive Low Yee Dan, 26, from Setia Alam, Selangor, said popularity alone has never equated credibility for him.
“A popularised view, even if it’s not artificially boosted, still doesn’t equal credibility.
“I’ve seen posts where the gap between likes and comments feels suspicious,” he said, adding that paid engagement is “essentially no different from paid marketing”.
For government pensioner Nik Ruzman, 65, from Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, recent global events have changed how he reads online reactions.
“I never thought about this before but not anymore since the Gaza-Israel conflict,” he said, referring to widely reported cases of coordinated and artificial engagement linked to Israel-related posts during the war.
He said comment patterns differ sharply between platforms and channels.
“I don’t decide based on positive comments. I research the product myself, but I do pay attention to negative comments.”
