Tricked by Followers and Badges

What if your social media success was built on deception, and it was working? In today’s episode, we hear from someone who knows exactly how that happens. Tim O’Hearn is a former software engineer and the author of Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media, a book that pulls back the curtain on how follower factories, automation, and persuasive technologies have shaped the online world we now take for granted. Tim doesn’t just theorize, he built these systems himself.

Tim walks us through how his small side gig growing Instagram accounts evolved into a lucrative business, one that constantly navigated the blurry line between innovation and breaking platform rules. He opens up about the clever strategies he used to avoid detection and psychological hooks that made these methods so effective, as we explore the deeper consequences of social media’s addictive nature.

We’ll also explore the hidden risks businesses and individuals face when they obsess over metrics and follower counts instead of genuine connections, and why most people don’t even realize they're caught up in this trap. Whether you're running a business, casually browsing, or just trying to figure out the complicated world of online attention, this conversation will give you a rare peek behind the curtain. And as you’ll find out, stepping away from it all might not be as straightforward as you'd think.

Show Notes:

• [01:12] Tim recently published Framed: A Villain's Perspective on Social Media, a book that shares his journey from breaking the rules on social media to getting millions of followers for his clients.
• [02:15] We learn a little bit more about the beginnings of spamming the Internet and increasing online presence, including MySpace and Instagram, which evolved into getting more followers.
• [04:14] This created social proof and the possibility of higher conversion rates.
• [05:09] Increasing followers using botnets or fake followers. Organic growth and interacting with accounts that might follow or like.
• [08:35] Tim's business was Shark Social, where he bent the rules to get followers for clients.
• [09:53] The technical side of his operation. Proxies were used to mask their tracks.
• [12:30] Social media services have taken efforts to stop things like follower growth services.
• [14:54] Risks for businesses using social media growth platform services. It's against TOS, and your account can get banned.
• [18:36] Systems Tim built to target consumers using social media. The goal was to get users to spend more time on the app.
• [20:50] Thresholds for annoying users. It was shocking how many people allowed push notifications and other annoying things.
• [22:54] How social media affects Tim.
• [26:11] We learn how he feels about the influencer culture and promoting his book on TikTok.
• [27:14] Advice for business owners, including these services, may not get you more business. Pause before doing too much.
• [28:48] Individuals should focus on conversions.

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Links and Resources:

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• Tim O’Hearn
• Tim O’Hearn - LinkedIn
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• Framed: A Villain's Perspective on Social Media
• Spam Kings