A Thai university offered free tuition to influencers willing to promote it

Evidence

Much of the coverage on net idols by leading tabloids also focus on scandals including premarital pregnancy, debts, theft, and illegal gambling. Media criticism of the net idol phenomenon is usually focused on their lucrative commerce and its impact on education, with commentators concerned that the seeming ease of entry and success in the industry will distract aspirational youth from completing their compulsory education (Pantip, 2016a). A leading private university has also announced their new “Net Idol Scholarship,” intended to attract prolific internet users with high social media followings and a general good reputation online. In exchange for their full fees being covered, scholars are expected to use their influential social media estates to promote the university to followers (Pantip, 2016b). — Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown (eds.), Microcelebrity Around the Globe, 780

Categorization

• CANDY: A university literally created a ‘Net Idol Scholarship’ trading free tuition for promotional posts — compact, tweetable absurdity.
• XREF: Echoes ch1’s point about microcelebrity as attention commodity; the scholarship monetizes social capital directly.