Creating Sympathetic, Secretly-Fictional Influencers to Collect Buyer Information is Morally Wrong

Given how young users of social media are allowed to be and how emotionally connected people become when others are open and vulnerable*** online, your friend’s deception sounds extremely unethical and potentially dangerous.

She needs to be aware that not everyone online is in a healthy and stable place.

Children betrayed by someone they thought they knew — but doesn’t even exist! — would be devastated. Especially if they had grown to see her collection of lies as a friend or role model.

Further, it will eventually come to light. If this post is any indication, I’d say sooner rather than later.

***projecting vulnerability is an emotional manipulation technique used by Pick Up Artists

In summary:

I am disgusted with this person, and think you’ve written the setup for a case study in ‘what not to do’ in marketing ethics.