Fan rak: Celebrities soak up free online advertising

 Anytime someone posts a photo or comment that generates a lot of sharing, you can expect a “fak ran” comment to appear as well, with the name and online address of the shop/service attached. It goes uncomfortably over the top when the intrusive request appears in threads about a disaster or a loved one’s death. 

And ask anybody who’s famous: They have legions of followers online, so obviously they’re going to be hit with pushy “fak ran” not-really-requests all the time. Some of the big stars routinely find a hundred or more such posts in a single thread, and of course they’re utterly irrelevant to the discussion. 

Actress Chermarn “Ploy” Boonyasak, who’s always outspoken and right now is really, really outspoken, has declared on Instagram that she’s had enough and she isn’t going to take it anymore. With 1.7 million-plus followers, Ploy is a prime “fak ran” target. You could sense steam coming out her ears last month when she suggested that celebrities stop posting any photos on Instagram altogether in a bid to shut down the “fak ran retail industry”.

“Account owners are so exhausted blocking these comments and our readers are tired of them too,” she said. Asked by reporters what was happening, Ploy said she routinely gets 300 to 400 “fak ran” “comments” per upload, “and I can’t even find my friends’ comments because they’re buried by these advertisers!” 

Boycotting the bothersome visitors is probably impossible for many stars, however. Ploy stopped uploading photos for almost two weeks, but then drifted back.

“What to do? I don’t have any other social-media channel to communicate because I only use Instagram,” she said, quipping that she now knows all the advertisers’ names and addresses by heart. Then, out came the sarcasm: “Be my guest. I’ll give my space for you to fak ran for a month! Keep it coming!” 

Singer Jirayut “Joe” Wattanasin might or might not be feeling a bit miffed himself, posting more or less the same thing on Sunday, officially “inviting” anyone to advertise on his Instagram anytime. “If you want to do it, go ahead, because I use this space free of charge, without paying rent. Hope you guys get rich!” 

Maybe he wasn’t being sarcastic and is actually keen to share the wealth of online billboard space with fans – he’s “only” got 47,000 followers, after all. Word about his remarks spread to Twitter as well and he was asked whether he was kidding. There’s been no response from Joe so far, but in the meantime, if you’ve got something to flog, head over to his place. At least it has a welcome mat in front of the door.