In a recent conversation, the CEO of Kick was asked about the possibility of adding video verification to combat view bots on the platform. The user's request was aimed at enhancing the authenticity of user engagement by verifying that viewers are real humans.
The CEO responded, delving into the complexities of view botting and the challenges of combating it: "Video verification, you mean like taking a full video of yourself to prove you're a real human? I think the thing is, we're learning more about view botting, and it's a really complicated issue to fully tackle. There's a reason why view botting still exists on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and every social media platform. It's because it's ultimately near impossible to completely stop. That's the unfortunate reality."
The CEO acknowledged that view botting remains a challenging problem across various platforms and isn't easily eradicated. Instead, Kick 's approach is to reduce the incentives for users to engage in view botting by addressing discoverability: "The main thing that we can do is to remove discoverability on the platform. This is why people tend to engage in these activities. We've rolled out new processes around people manipulating their views, where their discoverability will continue to decrease. We're taking away the incentive for people to do that. Slowly over time, we hope people realize that boosting their views is detrimental to their growth because they'll have less discoverability and fewer opportunities to participate. This will reduce their incentives and give them the opposite of what they've been trying to achieve."
The CEO emphasized that this approach aims to educate users about the drawbacks of view botting and encourage a shift in behavior. While the view botting issue might not be resolved overnight, the platform is actively working to improve the situation: "It doesn't solve the problem overnight. It hopefully solves the problem over the course of months as more people understand that boosting their views is counterproductive to their growth."
Source for all the quotes on this article can be found here: Kick Talk Ep.4
In conclusion, the CEO's response highlights Kick 's multifaceted approach to combat view botting on the platform. Rather than video verification, the focus is on reducing incentives by addressing discoverability issues. This approach aims to educate users and gradually shift the culture away from view botting, making the platform a more authentic and engaging place for its users.
