Clay Aiken is one of dozens of celebrities who have bought Twitter followers, and they were then leveraged into amplifying his complaint against Volvo.
The singer and failed politician is one of dozens of celebrities who tried to make themselves seem more popular and influential than they really are by using the obscure American company Devumi.
The New York Times published an expose revealing the names of celebrities who have turned to the services of the company, which the publication describes as having “collected millions of dollars in a shadowy global marketplace for social media fraud.”
“Drawing on an estimated stock of at least 3.5 million automated accounts, each sold many times over, the company has provided customers with more than 200 million Twitter followers, a New York Times investigation found,” the paper reports.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“One former ‘American Idol’ contestant, Clay Aiken, even paid Devumi to spread a grievance: his customer service complaint against Volvo,” the report found. “Devumi bots retweeted his complaint 5,000 times.”
Bought a car & paid for it. It's sitting on lot and I'm not allowed to take it b/c @volvocarsus can't get its shit together. #dobettervolvo
— Clay Aiken (@clayaiken) August 12, 2015
Of course, it is possible someone helping to run his social media bought the followers for him, without his knowledge. We’ll never know, because Aiken declined comment.
Other celebrities found to have Devumi followers include actor John Leguizamo, athletes Ray Lewis and Joey Galloway, and former swimsuit model Kathy Ireland.
