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| Fake girlfriend: I paid for make-believe love on Facebook | Fake girlfriend: I paid for make-believe love on Facebook |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News | By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News |
| Twenty-four-year-old Sophia is smart, pretty and has hopes and dreams of getting to grad school. | Twenty-four-year-old Sophia is smart, pretty and has hopes and dreams of getting to grad school. |
| And for $5 she will be your girlfriend. | And for $5 she will be your girlfriend. |
| "It's not a big deal really," she says, at the end of what has been an altogether very peculiar week. | "It's not a big deal really," she says, at the end of what has been an altogether very peculiar week. |
| "It's just easy to do... I just tick 'in a relationship'." | "It's just easy to do... I just tick 'in a relationship'." |
| Sophia is one of many women - and a few men - who have essentially brought the age-old industry of escorting to the world of social networking. | Sophia is one of many women - and a few men - who have essentially brought the age-old industry of escorting to the world of social networking. |
| Now, instead of hiring someone to grasp your arm and go out to a party or dinner - it's all about looking good online. | Now, instead of hiring someone to grasp your arm and go out to a party or dinner - it's all about looking good online. |
| "It's mostly guys trying to make someone else jealous," Sophia explains. "Or to make their profile look like they've got girls all over them." | "It's mostly guys trying to make someone else jealous," Sophia explains. "Or to make their profile look like they've got girls all over them." |
| For the money, you get a week's worth of having "in a relationship with Sophia" on your profile, as well as a few status comments and "likes". | For the money, you get a week's worth of having "in a relationship with Sophia" on your profile, as well as a few status comments and "likes". |
| But is it really fooling anyone? Surely friends and family are able to see through such a falsely constructed ruse? | But is it really fooling anyone? Surely friends and family are able to see through such a falsely constructed ruse? |
| I decided to try to find out. For one entire week, ending today, I have been living something of a lie - confusing friends, family and colleagues as I go. | I decided to try to find out. For one entire week, ending today, I have been living something of a lie - confusing friends, family and colleagues as I go. |
| I hired Sophia to be my fake Facebook girlfriend. | I hired Sophia to be my fake Facebook girlfriend. |
| Brazilian ladies | Brazilian ladies |
| The journey to find her took some time - but ultimately began with the discovery of a website that was launched in Brazil last month. | The journey to find her took some time - but ultimately began with the discovery of a website that was launched in Brazil last month. |
| Called Namoro Fake, the site made lofty promises: "Who never thought of impressing your friends by showing up with a beautiful woman?" | Called Namoro Fake, the site made lofty promises: "Who never thought of impressing your friends by showing up with a beautiful woman?" |
| "With only a few clicks those issues can be easily solved." | "With only a few clicks those issues can be easily solved." |
| "The whole relationship status thing on Facebook is taken quite seriously. It's really quite official. | "The whole relationship status thing on Facebook is taken quite seriously. It's really quite official. |
| It's the thing that people think about more than anything they post. | It's the thing that people think about more than anything they post. |
| I think using a fake girlfriend is mainly to make an ex-partner jealous. To make them feel like you've moved on and have somebody else. | I think using a fake girlfriend is mainly to make an ex-partner jealous. To make them feel like you've moved on and have somebody else. |
| You're announcing to them - and the rest of the world - you've found somebody else. | You're announcing to them - and the rest of the world - you've found somebody else. |
| But if you're found out to have created this fake girlfriend, it's a totally different scenario. | But if you're found out to have created this fake girlfriend, it's a totally different scenario. |
| You've got a long way to fall if someone finds out its fake - it can be humiliating. | You've got a long way to fall if someone finds out its fake - it can be humiliating. |
| If people find out you're doing it it can be humiliating really. Obviously you're not going to meet this person, so you're not actively engaging in seeing them. | If people find out you're doing it it can be humiliating really. Obviously you're not going to meet this person, so you're not actively engaging in seeing them. |
| The girls who do it probably have quite high self esteem. A good sense of self-worth - they can laugh at themselves. They're just not fazed by it. | |
| Some may even do it because it may stop over guys hitting on them on Facebook. | Some may even do it because it may stop over guys hitting on them on Facebook. |
| I doubt they're taking it too seriously - they're the ones in control. | I doubt they're taking it too seriously - they're the ones in control. |
| The site gives you several "candidates" to choose from, all keen to leave comments for men who want to "make their soon-to-be-exes jealous". | The site gives you several "candidates" to choose from, all keen to leave comments for men who want to "make their soon-to-be-exes jealous". |
| Unfortunately, it did not offer an English-speaking service. | Unfortunately, it did not offer an English-speaking service. |
| While there's nothing wrong with that, convincing my friends I had suddenly found myself a wildly attractive girlfriend was going to be hard enough as it was - without the added issue around her communicating solely in Portuguese. | While there's nothing wrong with that, convincing my friends I had suddenly found myself a wildly attractive girlfriend was going to be hard enough as it was - without the added issue around her communicating solely in Portuguese. |
| So instead, step forward Cloud Girlfriend - an American site. | So instead, step forward Cloud Girlfriend - an American site. |
| Like Namoro Fake, it allows users to define their "perfect" girlfriend in the sign-up process. | Like Namoro Fake, it allows users to define their "perfect" girlfriend in the sign-up process. |
| Resisting the temptation to simply request "real", I opted instead for - and here's a look into my mind - a brunette, aged 25, who was well-educated and with a passing interest in stand-up comedy, film and, since we're dreaming, football. | Resisting the temptation to simply request "real", I opted instead for - and here's a look into my mind - a brunette, aged 25, who was well-educated and with a passing interest in stand-up comedy, film and, since we're dreaming, football. |
| Facebook attorneys | Facebook attorneys |
| But something was wrong. Although touted as providing a "Facebook" girlfriend, it became clear that Cloud Girlfriend did not seem to involve anything on the social network at all. | But something was wrong. Although touted as providing a "Facebook" girlfriend, it became clear that Cloud Girlfriend did not seem to involve anything on the social network at all. |
| I got in touch with the owners to find out what was going on. | I got in touch with the owners to find out what was going on. |
| "We received 85,000 emails in [the first] three weeks from people who wanted to learn more," said co-founder David Fuhriman. | "We received 85,000 emails in [the first] three weeks from people who wanted to learn more," said co-founder David Fuhriman. |
| "Some would tell their stories, some would tell what they wanted in a girl, some were girls who wanted to be employed to update the status of the [fake] girlfriends. | "Some would tell their stories, some would tell what they wanted in a girl, some were girls who wanted to be employed to update the status of the [fake] girlfriends. |
| "The response was surprising, sincere, enormous, and very international." | "The response was surprising, sincere, enormous, and very international." |
| But then, a sucker punch: "Unfortunately we also caught the eye of Facebook's attorneys who sent us some letters about their terms of service." | But then, a sucker punch: "Unfortunately we also caught the eye of Facebook's attorneys who sent us some letters about their terms of service." |
| It seemed that Facebook was not too keen on seeing this kind of service spring up on its platform - not due to the site's nature, but because of strict rules regarding fake or false accounts. | It seemed that Facebook was not too keen on seeing this kind of service spring up on its platform - not due to the site's nature, but because of strict rules regarding fake or false accounts. |
| Mr Fuhriman decided to back off and instead run an "anonymous" chat room service - which was obviously of no use to me. | Mr Fuhriman decided to back off and instead run an "anonymous" chat room service - which was obviously of no use to me. |
| Finding Sophia | Finding Sophia |
| A last gasp Google search revealed many other sites offering online "girlfriend hire" - including one US-based website named Fiverr - a website which lists things people are willing to do for $5. | A last gasp Google search revealed many other sites offering online "girlfriend hire" - including one US-based website named Fiverr - a website which lists things people are willing to do for $5. |
| Some examples included "I will make a handmade greetings card for your loved one" and "I will record a video message in the style of Robert De Niro". | Some examples included "I will make a handmade greetings card for your loved one" and "I will record a video message in the style of Robert De Niro". |
| A search for "fake girlfriend" produced reams of women (or men, pretending to be women) offering their services as a person with whom to have a make-believe relationship. | A search for "fake girlfriend" produced reams of women (or men, pretending to be women) offering their services as a person with whom to have a make-believe relationship. |
| There were a few offers for fake boyfriends, but it is overwhelmingly women who offer the service. | There were a few offers for fake boyfriends, but it is overwhelmingly women who offer the service. |
| I picked Sophia, in part due to her location (it said UK), but mostly because of her well-written profile page - my cover would have been blown immediately if my "girlfriend" was the sort to "rite lyk dis". | I picked Sophia, in part due to her location (it said UK), but mostly because of her well-written profile page - my cover would have been blown immediately if my "girlfriend" was the sort to "rite lyk dis". |
| Within a day, we had things set up - and then, before I knew it, there it was: I was "in a relationship". | Within a day, we had things set up - and then, before I knew it, there it was: I was "in a relationship". |
| "Woohoo!" Sophia commented on my page, with a little love heart for added effect. | "Woohoo!" Sophia commented on my page, with a little love heart for added effect. |
| It didn't take long for the first text. | It didn't take long for the first text. |
| "Sophia?!? GIRLFRIEND?!" | "Sophia?!? GIRLFRIEND?!" |
| Putting aside my annoyance at the sheer magnitude of Andy's surprise, it was good to see it had my close friends guessing. | Putting aside my annoyance at the sheer magnitude of Andy's surprise, it was good to see it had my close friends guessing. |
| And so followed a slew of inquisition from friends and parents. | And so followed a slew of inquisition from friends and parents. |
| Coming clean | Coming clean |
| Yet as the "likes" and messages totted up, I started to worry. | Yet as the "likes" and messages totted up, I started to worry. |
| I didn't have a back story, nor a strong ability to act convincingly when asked. | I didn't have a back story, nor a strong ability to act convincingly when asked. |
| In the absence of an explanation, friends offered their own theories: we'd met online, suggested one, while another guess was that we had fallen in love at the top of London's newest skyscraper, The Shard. | In the absence of an explanation, friends offered their own theories: we'd met online, suggested one, while another guess was that we had fallen in love at the top of London's newest skyscraper, The Shard. |
| Within a couple of days, I came clean to Sophia, explaining that I was a journalist. | Within a couple of days, I came clean to Sophia, explaining that I was a journalist. |
| "That's quite funny actually," she said, before openly sharing her motivation behind it all. | "That's quite funny actually," she said, before openly sharing her motivation behind it all. |
| "The whole Sophia thing is just my marketing username. Nothing on that Facebook profile is real! My photos on there are really me, but nothing else is." | "The whole Sophia thing is just my marketing username. Nothing on that Facebook profile is real! My photos on there are really me, but nothing else is." |
| I'd been had! | I'd been had! |
| "Do I enjoy it? I guess, in the sense that it's an extra income. I feel like it's innocent on Facebook when it's just changing a status online. | "Do I enjoy it? I guess, in the sense that it's an extra income. I feel like it's innocent on Facebook when it's just changing a status online. |
| "It's an online persona, I don't really feel it has anything to do with me." | "It's an online persona, I don't really feel it has anything to do with me." |
| 'Own business!' | 'Own business!' |
| Recently, Facebook has been cracking down on fake profiles. After all, dogs tend not to click on advertising. | Recently, Facebook has been cracking down on fake profiles. After all, dogs tend not to click on advertising. |
| I asked the company what it thought of my experiment - and whether either Sophia or I had been in breach of their guidelines. | I asked the company what it thought of my experiment - and whether either Sophia or I had been in breach of their guidelines. |
| I wasn't. But in Sophia's case, it was slightly more complicated. | I wasn't. But in Sophia's case, it was slightly more complicated. |
| "Assuming the account ID is real and the 'business' activity is not happening in Facebook there would not be a policy violation," explained a spokesman. | "Assuming the account ID is real and the 'business' activity is not happening in Facebook there would not be a policy violation," explained a spokesman. |
| "The only 'on Facebook' activity is changing relationship status and writing friendly comments. Whatever business agreement you strike with your beau in the offline is your own business!" | "The only 'on Facebook' activity is changing relationship status and writing friendly comments. Whatever business agreement you strike with your beau in the offline is your own business!" |
| But as Sophia explained, while the profile is real - with photos of herself - the name she uses is not. | But as Sophia explained, while the profile is real - with photos of herself - the name she uses is not. |
| If Sophia is brought to Facebook's attention, she would be asked to use her real name - or disable the account. | If Sophia is brought to Facebook's attention, she would be asked to use her real name - or disable the account. |
| But the spokesman admitted it was hard for the company spot this kind of activity. | But the spokesman admitted it was hard for the company spot this kind of activity. |
| "We're not in the business of validating people's relationships," he said. | "We're not in the business of validating people's relationships," he said. |
| Sing-a-long | Sing-a-long |
| My friends, however, were. As the days plodded on, those close to me started to become suspicious. | My friends, however, were. As the days plodded on, those close to me started to become suspicious. |
| Having a Facebook girlfriend was extremely hard work. And for what? As Sophia says, the main motivation for hiring someone like her is to make someone else feel bad about themselves. | Having a Facebook girlfriend was extremely hard work. And for what? As Sophia says, the main motivation for hiring someone like her is to make someone else feel bad about themselves. |
| With that in mind, I traipsed back to Fiverr to see if my money could get me something a little more feel-good. | With that in mind, I traipsed back to Fiverr to see if my money could get me something a little more feel-good. |
| I found Suzi Lindner (her real name, thankfully), a singer from New York. | I found Suzi Lindner (her real name, thankfully), a singer from New York. |
| She was offering a 30-second jingle on a topic of my choosing - so I naturally asked her to sing about my ordeal. You can watch her perform it here. | She was offering a 30-second jingle on a topic of my choosing - so I naturally asked her to sing about my ordeal. You can watch her perform it here. |
| "Go out and get yourself a real girlfriend," Suzi sings. And quite right too. | "Go out and get yourself a real girlfriend," Suzi sings. And quite right too. |