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Burger King Ad Encourages Cyberbullying
Filed under: In The News, Weird But True
Burger King's latest and most desperate attempt to regain it's once regal status as fast-food royalty is an offer to Facebook users that if they drop 10 of their online "friends," the chain will give them a free Whopper.
And, as if it isn't bad enough to get dumped for a burger, how about this: the Facebook app also sends a message to the people you "unfriend" telling them that hey, you aren't worth as much as free food! Then it puts the dumpee's name into a news feed that runs on the site.
So far, more than 200,000 friends have been dumped in the name of flame-broiled beef. Those who have been culled from someone's friend list can strike back, as well. The Whopper Sacrifice website allows "the sacrificed" to send an "angry-gram" to the jerk who unfriended them.
I like fast-food as much as the next gal, but this ad campaign encourages cyberbullying. Facebook and other social-media websites already make it so much easier for users -- including your kids and their friends -- to be mean to each other. When I was a teenager, you had to actually be rude to someone's face to break up with them. Now, all it takes is a click of a button. Social media is bullying for cowards.
What happens if someone is unfriended and actually hurts himself, or the friend who dumped him? Who is the responsible party in that scenario? The responsible party would be the very same BK executives who decided to green-light those scary ads with The King. I get that the campaign is "edgy" and that it's all meant in fun, but it walks a very fine line between cool and cruel.
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And, as if it isn't bad enough to get dumped for a burger, how about this: the Facebook app also sends a message to the people you "unfriend" telling them that hey, you aren't worth as much as free food! Then it puts the dumpee's name into a news feed that runs on the site.
So far, more than 200,000 friends have been dumped in the name of flame-broiled beef. Those who have been culled from someone's friend list can strike back, as well. The Whopper Sacrifice website allows "the sacrificed" to send an "angry-gram" to the jerk who unfriended them.
I like fast-food as much as the next gal, but this ad campaign encourages cyberbullying. Facebook and other social-media websites already make it so much easier for users -- including your kids and their friends -- to be mean to each other. When I was a teenager, you had to actually be rude to someone's face to break up with them. Now, all it takes is a click of a button. Social media is bullying for cowards.
What happens if someone is unfriended and actually hurts himself, or the friend who dumped him? Who is the responsible party in that scenario? The responsible party would be the very same BK executives who decided to green-light those scary ads with The King. I get that the campaign is "edgy" and that it's all meant in fun, but it walks a very fine line between cool and cruel.
| It absolutely encourages bullying. | |
|---|---|
| It's mean, but it's not bullying. | |
| Get over yourselves -- it's funny! |
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
1-16-2009 @ 3:08PM
Mike Wills said...Okay, so for the teen who's ego is very fragile I can see this as bullying. But COME ON! It's a freaking joke that you can play one your friends. I used this on a couple of my good friends and my wife. I just re-friended them and moved on.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 3:36PM
EH said...Are you serious? In your "humble opinion" you blame Burger King for any casualties caused by a commercial? You must be of the same "humble" and responsibility free who like to fault music, video games and TV for every crime and wrong doing....what happened to personal responsibility? Have grand standing defense teams turned our society into such wimps that a child cannot be part of a baseball team to learn the lessons of teamwork, winning AND losing i.e. good sportsmanship...or does everyone deserve a trophy just for showing up?
This blaming of others for our own actions has become a bigger problem then the calories and animal by products inside a Whopper causing nationwide obesity...that's something more appropriate to call Burger King out on...and it is still your choice to eat it or not.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 3:42PM
LS said...I don't know what's going on with BK lately. First that creepy King ad campaign, then signs for "angry" Whopper everywhere, now this?
It sounds like a bunch of poor sports are hanging out over at BKHQ, mad that they're not #1.
This is just one more reason for me not to go to BK.
As for the question, I don't know if encouraging people to "unfriend" others on Facebook rises to the level of "bullying", but maybe sending an "Angrygram" would (especially since part of the text includes the phrase, "You are a loser."). Either way, I find it really distasteful that a company is blatantly encouraging people to act crappy towards others, especially friends.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 3:55PM
Kirstie said...Wow .. have you ever actually been on facebook, Amy? This campaign (which has been disabled, actually, you can no longer add the application as far as I'm aware .. which sucks, I wanted a free whopper!) is poking fun at the very nature of a "facebook friend" .. you know, the 200 people who you went to the same high school as, didn't like then, and yet are "friends" with on facebook. You don't talk to them anyway, more than likely .. it's as good as an excuse as any to drop them!
Also, FYI .. the application has apparently been altered to disallow the display of "xyz has been sacrificed by John Doe for a whopper" on the news feed, in order to protect privacy of people who may not want their name displayed. Which I guess removes the "cyberbullying" aspect .. if you really want to get as extreme as to call it that.
The King is creepy though, LS. Especially when they were doing the King Kong tie-in and the King was gigantic, and he stuck one finger in the sleeping girl's window to give her a hamburger ... urgh. Scary! He's a good laugh, though.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 4:39PM
Karen said...This is no longer available. Facebook shut it down.
But COME ON! Cyberbullying! Give me a freaking break. Wait...give me a break today -- is that McDonalds old ad?
Anyway, it was humorous and anyone that got offended by it needs some serious counseling about their own self esteem issues. How in the world are you going to compete in the big bad world if this sets you off.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 5:11PM
LS said...You know, Karen, it's not that we can't "compete in the big bad world" or that we have self-esteem issues. Some of us are just sick and tired of the culture of meanness that this is contributing to. It's pretty sad when someone speaks out against people treating other badly, and they're attacked for it.
This has become a very crude and coarse society.
1-16-2009 @ 7:12PM
Jenni said...LS,
You really think it's cruel to be taken off someone's friends list in a cyber-social network?
For those of us who live in reality, so what someone doesn't want to be my cyberfriend. Heck, so what if you don't want to be my real friend.
What has gotten out of control is trying not to hurt people's feelings. People seem to want to live in a bubble where no one ever get's their feelings hurt, no one ever wants to get let down, and no one wants to deal with life.
Get over it! So someone you have a relationship on the computer would rather have a burger instead. Doesn't sound like a friend at all (cyber or real)...get over it!
1-16-2009 @ 7:23PM
Karen said...Look, I agree that promoting civility is a good thing, but the hyperbole attached to this is what set me off.
CyberBullying? When you tend to over react to these types of things, you diminsh the situation when it is a real problem.
At most this is getting your feelings hurt, and nobody has the right to NOT be offended. And if you think you do, you will fail miserably in this "big, bad world." This is far different from bullying - cyber or otherwise, and to react so strongly indicates some other issues IMO. It has been my experience that it stems from insecurity. I shouldn't have said people that are offended have issues, but people that inflate that offense to the level of cyber bullying need to examine where that comes from IMO. If it doesn't apply to you - ignore it.
1-17-2009 @ 9:33AM
LS said...I don't care if you or anyone else wants to be my friend or not on FB or anywhere else. That's not the point.
The point is, this restaurant is encouraging people to send notes to one another (forget the "unfriend" thing on FB, although making a list of those who were "unfriended" IS a bit over the line, IMO).... that includes the phrase "you're a loser". Yeah, it's funny... ha ha ha. But think about this... would this campaign be as successful if people were sending notes saying, "You're awesome!" I doubt it. Would BK be stirring up as much interest if they called their new burger, "The Happy Whopper"? Probably not.
We have become such a crude and mean society. Look at the recent election. Mention the name of Sarah Palin anywhere on this board, and people are calling her, and anyone who may speak nicely of her, evil and horrible names. Say anything against Barack Obama, and you're called racist, and that's the nicest of the words that are hurled at you. And nobody cares.
THAT'S the point. Do I think that "unfriending" someone on FB is "bullying"? No. Do I think that offering a reward to someone who does that is bullying? Maybe... at least, it's encouraging meanness. And THAT'S what I'm objecting to.
1-18-2009 @ 11:14AM
Jenni said...I don't know about McDonald's but "Give me a break" is from KitKat Bar! :)
1-16-2009 @ 5:10PM
Jenni said...I think you need to look at the definition of bullying...http://discussingsemantics.blogspot.com/2009/01/is-it-teasing-of-bullying.html
Seriously. I find it a great way to actually clean up my dormant friends on facebook. If your feelings are going to be hurt because someone "dumped" you off of facebook, then you just need to not be on facebook or any other social network.
This is not bullying!
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 6:48PM
brovash said...wow you must take you e-fame and e-friends really seriously to be hurt by something like that, leading me to believe that you're a socially inept and awkward person that takes the internet more than hanging out with people in real life. I'm also guessing that some of the "friends" you had on facebook that you assumed were your best friends dropped you.
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1-17-2009 @ 1:35PM
Uly said...Oh, honestly, it's obvious what people do/did. They drop their friends, then re-add them after.
Reply
1-16-2009 @ 9:42PM
Carrie said...Makes me want to never eat Burger King again. I will, but I'm on a diet now, so at least there's that. Jerks.
Reply