Would You Be Someone’s Online Girlfriend For Money?

For $5 you can hire someone to "like" your Facebook photos, make your filtered artsy Instagrams seem appreciated ...or, uh, fake a break-up in Spanish. From simple interactions we take for granted to larger manipulations, it's listings like these that litter GirlfriendHire.com, a new website launched out of Naples by a 22-year-old entrepreneur.

The locally based site works like this: Girls sign up to deliver services to boys for a $5 in a variety of categories aimed, mostly, at satiating pretty understandable net-related anxiety and loneliness. While this ranges between feeling exploitative to just sad, GirlfriendHire also speaks to how important social media "cool" is to young dudes, as evidenced by the multitudes of posts from guys just looking for a gal to wish him happy birthday on text and Facebook — and the girls willing to oblige.

For instance, check out a few of the current listings that'll only cost lovelorn boys a Lincoln: two comments on Facebook pictures or Wall; unlimited texting for two weeks; online messaging friend forever; whatever it takes to make a girl jealous; or a former Miss Puerto Rico who will send pictures of herself. While most of the posts border safely at the PG-13, there seem to be just as many flaunting bikini shots as there are ladies who are honestly looking to make a buck just be being a warm body.

As long as the internet exists (and we care about what others think, which'll be forever), we’ll see the enterprising tap into our anxieties — so we've got a suggestion: Rebrand the company and drop the “girl” bit, because it looks like there’s an untapped market here of individuals looking to look “fake” cool on the internet...or just be less lonley. Just sayin’. (Nuts! We should’ve charged five big ones for that.) (Miami New Times)