What does the online water army mean?

The online water army refers to the hired online writers who publish specific information for specific content in the online world, forums, Weibo, WeChat and even various news portals. From hiring fans, buying hot search, brushing praise, to hyping news and manipulating public opinion, employers' intentions can be realized as long as they pay.

Internet personnel who are employed by Internet public relations companies to post posts and replies for others get paid by posting with water, and sometimes they can refer to netizens who create an entertaining and funny atmosphere through a large number of water stickers on the Internet. The network water army can be divided into full-time and part-time jobs; The existence of network water army is an advanced stage of network marketing, but it is a double-edged sword, which requires all network companies to grasp the application angle.

In order to maintain social order, many countries, including China, have formulated relevant laws, regulations and policies to manage, restrain and punish the network water army, and the network water army must bear corresponding legal responsibilities for their violations of law and discipline.

Extended information:

First, the characteristics of the water army:

First, the typical water army has strong group characteristics, while garbage users usually emphasize a single user.

Second, the water army may cause harm to individuals, companies or organizations, while junk users usually only increase junk information.

thirdly, the water army can be a program robot controlled by platform API (such as Sina Weibo open platform API), or a real user such as employees of the company or temporary recruits, which is different from the traditional research program machine Twitter bot.

fourthly, the water army is usually more hidden than garbage users. Many water forces are normal users under normal circumstances, and they only show their characteristics when specific tasks come, which increases the difficulty of water force detection.

Opinion Spam in e-commerce websites such as Taobao and Amazon is also a kind of water army, but the detection of opinion spam users is usually based on user comments of e-commerce websites.

second, the profit model

one is to delete posts with pay. Illegal establishment of small websites, targeting local enterprises, institutions and individuals, relying on informants to fabricate facts or even malicious slander, and using the network to promote hype, coercing the involved personnel and enterprises and institutions to pay for "doing things".

the second is paid posting. With the help of the so-called internet company, we undertake the posting business of "customers" and engage in large-scale hype with a purpose and plan through the hired "network water army".

the third is illegal advertising. Through the hired "network water army" and relying on the related "network V", well-known bloggers, forum moderators, online celebrity, etc., we will forward illegal advertisements for "customers" and expand the publicity effect. The fourth is to spread Trojan virus maliciously and improve the click-through rate. By implanting Trojans into web pages, the click-through rate of web pages can be refreshed to gain advertisers' "eyeballs", attract business and obtain economic benefits.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Network Water Army