Twitter, the social media platform where users compose messages of 140 characters or less, now hosts an impressive one billion user accounts. Of course, whether half that many people are actually using the service is another question. Some of these accounts might be users who have lost interest, but many of these accounts are fake. It turns out that Twitter is awash in dummy accounts created by computer bots and low-paid workers from Asian nations who work for unscrupulous businesses known as "click farms." These companies pay workers to sit behind computers creating false Twitter accounts and "following" legitimate ones.

For instance, a recent article in USA Today reported:

In Indonesia, a social media-obsessed country with one of the world's largest number of Facebook pages and Twitter users, click farms are proliferating. Ali Hanafiah, 40, offers 1,000 Twitter followers for $10 and 1 million for $600. He owns his own server, and pays $1 per month per Internet Protocol address, which he uses to generate thousands of social media accounts. Those accounts, he said, "enable us to create many fake followers."

During an interview Mr. Hanafiah admitted that large social networks can boost a business' public profile. He said, "Today, we are living in a tight competition world that is forcing people to compete with many tricks." But Tony Harris, a social media consultant, warned that "The illusion of a massive following is often just that—[an illusion]."

Possible Preaching Angles: (1) Disciples: Lordship of Christ—Christ is looking for real followers not just the illusion of "a massive following." (2) Justice; Poverty—As our culture strives for greater popularity and the appearance of success, we may do it on the backs of the poor. As one newspaper article noted, "For the workers, though, it is miserable work, sitting at screens in dingy rooms facing a blank wall, with windows covered by bars, and sometimes working through the night."