Budweiser Brazil has launched a new product called The Buddy Cup, which allows you to automatically become Facebook friends with other Buddy Cup holders with a simple toast. This cup, created by the ad group Agência Africa, has only made an appearance in the South American country, but will likely expand out to other countries in the next year.
The Buddy Cup has a QR code on the bottom that you scan to connect your Facebook profile to the built-in chip embedded in the cup. Then, any time you clink cups with someone, that person has instant access to your Facebook profile. Besides further watering down Facebook friendships to the kind of thing that made so many leave MySpace, causing that social network to reinvent itself, this has more sinister possibilities. The Buddy Cup grants less desirable people, i.e. stalkers, an easy degree of access never before available.
Let’s say a creep sees a cute guy or girl across the room. All that creep has to do is tap Buddy Cups with the cute person, whether that person knows it happens or not, and now a wealth of information is available. What seems like a harmless and fun device to have at networking events and sports games can end up being something much more disturbing.
Also, it’s a cheesy gimmick that further clutters up your Facebook feed and makes you say, “Who is that?” more often to people you don’t recognize.
With the Buddy Cup, you can water down the idea of Facebook friends to be as watered down as the beer it holds.
Another reason not to drink Bud.