Stop me before I click again....
These are devilishly addictive little applications, when, in all likelihood, they shouldn't be. You click through selected "jobs" and build a farm, an aquarium, a criminal enterprise and have predetermined goals. However, to get to the higher levels of achievement, you can exchange virtual gaming dollars for your real-life, hard-earned ducets. This is how Zynga was able to make a $250 million dollar profit last year.
You mean this isn't legal tender?
Some people, however, are too cheap to pay X amount for a few widgets or peppercorns, and prefer to just pace things out and let the game progress (for free) --your truly among them. However, for those really, really impatient tightwads, there are other ways to get the bonanza, loot, bushels or whatever Zynga is peddling...off-site "sponsors".
These sponsors sites and services are usually free; the mark goes to 3rd Party site, and agrees to fill out a survey, form or review, and in exchange, they are given virtual dollars to spend at Zynga's site to in turn purchase bric-a-brac for the Facebook game. And, everyone is happy.
Internet win, hooray!!!
"Surely", you're thinking to yourself, "this is fairly benign, and couldn't possibly be used to manipulate public opinion on any pressing, serious National issues, right?*" You would be wrong. Enter the always-shady, always-sheisty Republican Party. One third party outfit, Gambit, has "partnered" with the GOP, hospitals and insurance giants to manufacture "grassroots support" for destroying/delaying/confusing health care reform; a practice known as "astroturfing" because of the fake "grass roots" campaigning.
True fact: The only thing that frightens children more than Republicans are demonic, flesh-eating clowns.
How does this work? Adults, teens, adolescents, and children as old as 13, click on the Gambit site to earn free Mafia/Fish/Farm-bucks. They enter their name and email address and press "click", and at the end, they are duly rewarded. However, unbeknownst to them the site automatically generates an email to Congress, in their name, that reads as follows:
"I am concerned a new government plan could cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today. More government bureaucracy will only create more problems, not solve the ones we have."
Holy Bait-n-Switch Batman! Who are these "grass roots" organizations and individuals that 15 year olds are throwing their support behind? It's the "Get Health Reform Right" people. With a name that Orwellian, you'd think it would be mega-billion dollar corporations...and you'd be right. GHRR is composed of:
- Association of Health Insurance Advisors
- America’s Health Insurance Plans
- American Benefits Council
- BlueCross BlueShield Association
- Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers
- Healthcare Leadership Council
- Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers
- National Association of Health Underwriters
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors
- National Retail Association
Fat Capitalist Pig says "noooo, don't look behind the curtain"
Thus you have it, another ethically-challenged, predatory tactic by the 22% of dead-enders to stymy change, meaningful reform and end measures approved by 75% of the U.S. population. Please, Zynga/Gambit**, leave Mafia Wars alone and go back to mere monetary predation of idiots with a PayPal account. Addictive clicking is just that...addictive clicking to slake the thirst of boredom, it's not an opportunity to manipulate public opinion, especially when the public does not have that opinion, and is unaware --in any event-- of what teh hell you're doing.
*Maybe that's just me
** Zynga and Gambit have allegedly removed the GHRR "survey" from their offers.
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