This is what viewbotting looks like in 2026. Ed Craven has already called it out, estimating Lacy’s real audience on Kick at roughly 100 concurrent viewers. The rest is theater. Inflated metrics, synthetic engagement, and a manufactured perception of relevance presented as success. What’s most concerning is the scale. The largest creators are increasingly those most willing to distort reality, converting artificial numbers into real influence, brand deals, and cultural leverage. In an attention economy built on trust, this is not just dishonest, it is corrosive.