In some ways, Russia has it pretty figured out. For instance, instead of spending years taking selfies and building one’s brand on Instagram organically, you can just buy likes from a vending machine. It’s simple: You literally just have to go up to the machine, type in a username, insert 100 rubles ($1.75), and voilà — 200 instant likes, which you can apportion to photos as you see fit.
Here’s a demo.
Where do the likes come from? Mostly dummy accounts, or people who have given whoever developed the machine use of their account. The Russian Instagram economy is apparently vast and enterprising. For less than $20, aspiring models can rent a giant bouquet of roses to take pictures with.
