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Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

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Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#51
post #26

Social hacking at its finest. The benefits of a fake girlfriend go far beyond attracting a real girlfriend. Everyone looks differently at someone who is dating a hot chick. This could be just as valuable in terms of general networking or self promoting. It makes me wonder what similar ideas are out there. For the majority of people, social capital is the most valuable kind of capital there is. Facebook itself is kind…

I think you're wrong. I'm dating a a really good-looking girl (11 out of 10) but this fact hasn't changed how people view me. I'm below average in the social hierarchy and treated that way so I would notice if anything changed.

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#52
post #51
post #26

Social hacking at its finest. The benefits of a fake girlfriend go far beyond attracting a real girlfriend. Everyone looks differently at someone who is dating a hot chick. This could be just as valuable in terms of general networking or self promoting. It makes me wonder what similar ideas are out there. For the majority of people, social capital is the most valuable kind of capital there is. Facebook itself is kind…

I think you're wrong. I'm dating a a really good-looking girl (11 out of 10) but this fact hasn't changed how people view me. I'm below average in the social hierarchy and treated that way so I would notice if anything changed.

Maybe you're not doing it right. A sloppy dresser will still look sloppy driving an exotic supercar. But a sharply dressed man will look so much more fly in that same car.

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#53
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The human brain is based on simple rules and you can't blame someone for capitalizing on that. Yes I can. I don't really care about it in this particular case (although the whole concept just makes me sad), but I could give plenty of examples of exploiting human nature that are reprehensible and deserving of blame. That something is easy does not make it ethical.

To extrapolate this, people have taken advantage of other peoples' weaknesses. Gambling, drug addictions, suicidal thoughts...everyone has a weakness that can be exploited. I reiterate your statement; exploiting that vulnerability IS to blame and should not be applauded.

Can exploiting human nature be a positive thing? If looking healthy to attract the opposite sex can encourages people to work out, is that exploiting our "simple" sexual nature?

To me, pretending to have a girlfriend seems as deceitful as dying your hair. Now, I've never done either so I can't say for certain.

Furthermore, if your perception of someone changes because they're in a relationship, then maybe you should be exploited. You'll then realize you should valuate a person based on who they are, not their relationship status - and maybe you'll be better off. Or maybe I'm trying too hard to rationalize this behavior lol

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#54
post #6

Among PUA circles, this is known as preselection, an effect where women become more attracted to men that are already "chosen" by other women, so they may be onto something.

Which is really no different than, say, giving precedence in hiring to someone from Google or Facebook. Preselection isn't a bad thing, though gaming it in the dating world is easier than in business. (And not terribly ethical to game in either case.)

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#55
post #40

This is really weird. Everybody on HN appears to be praising this for the clever entrepreneurial idea. I'm kind of amazed that I'm apparently about to be the first person on here to call this out as a hugely misogynistic endeavour. Women should not be treated as a SaaS product.

While I also think it is sad if somebody decides to resort to that service, lets not forget that these "women" are virtual. No real humans are being hurt.

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#56
post #26

Social hacking at its finest. The benefits of a fake girlfriend go far beyond attracting a real girlfriend. Everyone looks differently at someone who is dating a hot chick. This could be just as valuable in terms of general networking or self promoting. It makes me wonder what similar ideas are out there. For the majority of people, social capital is the most valuable kind of capital there is. Facebook itself is kind…

"Social hacking at its finest. The benefits of a fake girlfriend go far beyond attracting a real girlfriend. Everyone looks differently at someone who is dating a hot chick. This could be just as valuable in terms of general networking or self promoting."

Right, assuming your primary concern is convincing douchebags to like you, you'll be golden.

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#57

In case you missed it and feel like reading a really bizarre story about fake girlfriends, this account of Notre Dame football player Manti Te'o faking the death of his non-existent girlfriend is just too weird -- http://deadspin.com/5976517/

The ultimate story is of the Anandtech forums, where someone invented a woman, sockpuppeted her on the forums, romanced her on the forums, got married, had a child (or she already had one?) and then killed them both off in a road traffic accident.

(http://web.archive.org/web/20010624115154/http://forums.anan...)

(http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=275172)

(http://oro.open.ac.uk/647/)

Fakery on the Internet is fascinating and very very common. People fake having cancer; people fake their own situation; people fake their friends. The movie Catfish is a nice exploration of one person's fakery. (It would have been easy to say "OMG SHE'S MENTAL LOL" but it's a surprisingly gentle confrontation and you end up somewhat sympathetic to her.)

Here are some other notable fakes:

SEXTORTION AT EISENHOWER HIGH

(http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/200907/wisconsin-...)

> Last year, an awkward high school senior in Wisconsin went online, passed himself off as a flirtatious female student, and conned dozens of his male classmates into e-mailing him sexually explicit images of themselves. What he did next will likely send him to jail for a very long time

DAVE ON WHEELS

(http://betabeat.com/2012/10/meet-hunter-dunn-the-young-man-w...)

> Followers of “Dave” on sites like Twitter and The Chive thought they were reading posts from a deaf young man suffering from cerebral palsy who had worked tirelessly to overcome his obstacles, all the while maintaining a positive outlook and relatably wry sense of humor.

KAYCEE NICOLE / DEBBIE SWENSON

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2001/may/28/internetnew...)

> For two years, a young American girl recounted her brave struggle against leukaemia in a daily online diary. This month she died. Thousands of web-users sent condolences. But [...]

(http://web.archive.org/web/20050115092141/http://www.rootnod...)

(http://www.metafilter.com/7878/The-Kaycee-Nicole-Swensen-Faq)

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaycee_Nicole_Swenson)

THE LYING DISEASE - in which a cancer patient is befriended by another cancer patient, who is faking cancer. (Happens three times.)

(http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-lying-disease/Content...)

WARRIOR ELI - a ten year hoax

(http://gawker.com/5914621/the-long-fake-life-of-js-dirr-a-de...)

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#59
post #26

Social hacking at its finest. The benefits of a fake girlfriend go far beyond attracting a real girlfriend. Everyone looks differently at someone who is dating a hot chick. This could be just as valuable in terms of general networking or self promoting. It makes me wonder what similar ideas are out there. For the majority of people, social capital is the most valuable kind of capital there is. Facebook itself is kind…

Um, the person who's lying, obviously.

Re: Website Sells Fake Facebook Girlfriends

#60
post #51
post #26

Social hacking at its finest. The benefits of a fake girlfriend go far beyond attracting a real girlfriend. Everyone looks differently at someone who is dating a hot chick. This could be just as valuable in terms of general networking or self promoting. It makes me wonder what similar ideas are out there. For the majority of people, social capital is the most valuable kind of capital there is. Facebook itself is kind…

I think you're wrong. I'm dating a a really good-looking girl (11 out of 10) but this fact hasn't changed how people view me. I'm below average in the social hierarchy and treated that way so I would notice if anything changed.

WTF is this social hierarchy? I hear about it a lot but really it just sounds like hanging out with douchebags.
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