(CLO) Currently, public opinion is in turmoil over the exaggerated advertisements of some celebrities on social networks. This poses legal requirements to manage celebrities' participation in advertising, which not only contributes to cleaning up information on the internet environment but also directly protects consumers.
When celebrities run after orders
Nowadays, the use of social networks is gradually becoming popular with every citizen, they can spend many hours on the screen to surf the net and watch live sales sessions and directly buy products. Taking advantage of the fast spread of information, interacting with many people at the same time, there are famous people who have gone live, inserting product advertisements into their videos to increase their income.
False advertising and exaggerated product benefits are rampant on social networks. Photo: Screenshot
With each livestream session, celebrities can sell hundreds of products, bringing in tens, hundreds, or billions of dong depending on their influence and the number of orders sold.
In order to convert the public and their fans into customers, many celebrities have not hesitated to share that they have directly used the product and found it quite effective. Or they claim to be the manufacturer or co-manufacturer of the product they are advertising. While they do not provide warnings about the product's side effects, information about the product's circulation license...
With the affection they have for their idols and trust in their idols, many social media users have trusted the heartfelt sharing of celebrities. They believe that celebrities will not sell their reputation for immediate benefits. Without being able to directly hold or handle the product, many buyers buy because they trust celebrities. Manufacturers will rely heavily on the reputation of celebrities to sell their products.
Journalist Le Van Toa - Chairman of Lam Dong Province Journalists Association said: “This situation is quite common. Currently, famous people with influence on social networks often follow orders from media units and brands to film clips with their images associated with product introductions. They do not research whether the quality of the products they advertise is consistent with the content they say or not, mainly following a pre-written script. They do not consider how the product will be when it is brought to the market, and what harmful effects it will have on consumers.”
From another perspective, Dr. Bui Xuan Phai - Deputy Head of the Department of State and Law Theory - Hanoi Law University shared: In the case of famous people and influencers on social networks being exploited for propaganda, to advertise products that do not guarantee quality, exaggerate their effectiveness, they themselves are both pitiful and blameworthy, blameworthy because they do not research carefully, cannot control the information they advertise.
“But for intentional acts, I think that if the online community only condemns, it will not be enough, but there needs to be strong legal measures. Currently, there is the Law on Cyber Security, the Code of Conduct on Social Networks... which limits the space for speech, and there is a legal corridor. However, for famous people, more measures are needed, such as issuing reminders, warnings and fines,” Dr. Bui Xuan Phai added.
Sanctions are needed soon for effective management.
Cyberspace has a direct impact on real life, it is time for state management agencies to have clearer and stricter regulations on this issue, along with sanctions strong enough to deter both famous advertisers and brands.
In fact, current legal regulations are not strong enough and not drastic enough. According to current regulations, false advertising will be subject to administrative penalties, with a maximum fine of 80 million VND for individuals and 160 million VND for organizations. Meanwhile, the remuneration for a celebrity when advertising can be up to several hundred million VND. Many people think that this fine is light compared to their actual income from advertising brands.
Quang Linh Vlog and Hang Du Muc livestream to sell Vietnamese products. Photo: Le Thuy
It is worth mentioning that currently there are no professional standards or ethical codes that bind celebrities to be responsible for the content they post. Unlike journalists who have the Vietnamese Journalists' Code of Conduct for Social Media Use, celebrities today operate mainly based on personal reputation and cooperation with brands. When there are no strong enough constraints, it is understandable that they are willing to accept advertisements without verifying the information.
Journalist Le Van Toa suggested: The management of celebrities advertising on the Internet should be more severe, like we are applying Decree 168/2024 of the Government regulating administrative sanctions for violations of traffic order and safety in the field of traffic. If the level of sanctions is increased as in this Decree, I think the number of violations will decrease. Cases of punishing celebrities for false information, if too light, will lead to lawlessness, which is a bad precedent. If there are no strong enough sanctions, scandals will continue and the ultimate losers will still be consumers.
In recent cases, the backlash from the online community has forced advertisers to apologize to the public. However, just apologizing has not been effective in enforcing the law. Everything still only stops at the online environment without strict management measures in reality. In the long run, violators feel that it is normal, everyone advertises like that, and violates the same.
Journalist Le Van Toa said: “The reaction from the online community is only a part, the important thing is still the State's management tool. Should the State regulate the content that celebrities advertise in the form of articles, videos, audio, etc. to be approved by the State management agency before being published. And the most important thing is that each celebrity must always maintain their own principles in their activities and always be responsible to the community.”
It can be said that social media influencers who promote and advertise a product must be aware, control and take responsibility for their actions. Only when the awareness and self-esteem of celebrities are raised, and responsibility is shown in every action and every statement, will the public's trust return.
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nguoi-noi-tieng-quang-cao-sai-su-that-tren-mang-xa-hoi-xu-phat-qua-nhe-se-nhon-luat-tao-tien-le-xau-post339081.html
Comment (0)