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I moderate a group on Facebook that is ethnic-cultural-historical in orientation - something that is manifest in the name of the group itself. There is no ambiguity or question as to what it is about.
Indeed, to anyone of the relatively small ethnic group to which I belong, it is a good place to connect with one another.
In the last few months, however, I have had a run of Africans trying to join the group. I think, reflecting on the profiles I have opened to check, that they are mostly Nigerian. The profiles seem to be legitimate, although I can’t always tell. I think they may be majority male, but if I remember correctly, there have also been some females. They don’t answer any of the screening questions either. Consequently, their requests to join get rejected.
Any idea why this would be the case? Does a similar thing happen with other groups? It feels a bit ‘spammy’ but I can’t figure out what benefit there would be to anyone in flooding a discussion group like that.
Social media is weird.
Does a similar thing happen with other groups?
Absolutely. With the Scotland MTB Routes group, it was frequently folk from Thailand. In fact I set one of the screening questions up to ask that.
I moderated a group for a bit and we got loads of member requests from attractive young Asian women. Not really the typical group clientele and obviously spam profiles (no friends, members of 300 groups, posts about knock off Ray-Bans etc) but when I mentioned on the group that I'd been rejecting them having checked the profiles I got absolute dogs abuse from some members, calling me a racist and all sorts!
Yes it's typical.
We've hundreds blocked from our teacher groups on Facebook.
Facebook keeps suggesting friends to me that it I should invite to join groups I'm a member of - but they're people would not be in the least interested in those groups. Maybe occasionally somebody accidentally or absent mindedly invites an irrelevant friend, and a Facebook algorithm then invites their friends?
Algorithms have a lot to answer for these days.
Your group is very relevant to them, not in terms of your content, but your member list and the ability to get content onto their feeds if you accept them into the group. Just another form of spam.
FB seems to have the amazing ability to know everything about you but have absolutely no idea about you at the same time eg it will suggest a group to join eg Blind Veterans but I'm neither blind, nor a veteran and have never expressed an interest in either subject. It's quite a skill they have, I'm genuinely surprised when they suggest something I'm actually interested in - although given how rare it is, I suspect it's just pot luck.
they are mostly Nigerian.
Google "419".
Are saxons unusual?
No, but wanting to ride one is.
Saxon. Quite rare. Only five of them. Small Facebook group. Membership eligibility easy to determine.
‘Goes off and adds Wheels of Steel to play list’
FB seems to have the amazing ability to know everything about you but have absolutely no idea about you at the same time
Yes. I'm a member of a local community group that is specific to my particular area of the city and of zero interest to anyone else (unless you really want to know what bin day it is tomorrow or where to get green bags during lockdown). FB keeps asking me if I want to invite some of my friends who live in London.