Mark Zuckerberg‘s Meta has a new PR nightmare to deal with: its proliferation of counterfeit fashion.
According to Reuters, the parent company’s platforms — namely, Facebook and Instagram — are struggling to curb rampant sales of fake luxury goods.
A study conducted by Ghost Data from June to October 2021 found that the two social media sites hosted a total of over 46,000 active accounts run by counterfeiters. Features such as direct messages and Instagram Stories, both of which support time-limited “disappearing” content, make it easier for users to hawk fake designer wares in a somewhat private space.
https://www.tiktok.com/@jessica_finds/video/7038982467411397893?
Of course, Meta isn’t the only company dealing with fakes. Subreddits including r/fashionreps, r/designerreps, r/qualityreps, and r/couturereps exist for the sole purpose of finding and discussing convincing counterfeits — the latter even provides a master guide to producing and selling replicas.
TikTok is also a goldmine of dupes. The hasthtag #dupesnation boasts over 5 million views, and some users even show off their newly acquired fake goods “haul videos.”
While the sale of counterfeit goods on social media platforms might not seem like a very novel or pressing phenomenon (in fact, Instagram’s dupe problem has been around for years), it’s a pretty dire situation for Mark Zuckerberg and Meta — Reuters’ unfortunately timed report only exacerbates the company’s continued struggle to rehabilitate its public image.
Meta stock continues to decline and at this point is less than one fourth market valuation of Apple pic.twitter.com/y4ct45czkN
— Cecilia Kang (@ceciliakang) February 7, 2022
In case you need a refresher: the tech giant was panned for changing its name to Meta amid a series of scandals including whistleblower Francis Haugen’s testimony; Meta’s stock market value tanked after it reported waning revenue; the company’s virtual reality program, Horizon Worlds, introduced safety features after one beta tester was groped in the metaverse.
It’s difficult not to compare Meta: A Unfortunate Series of Events to Peloton’s recent fall from grace, a saga that’s seen the workout bike company go from pandemic darling to TV character killer to lay-off central.
