This reminds me of the Pet Rock (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Rock) from pre-Internet times. The difference is the Pet Rock actually existed, and people actually bought them.

Update -- the Pet Rock is still out there. Just checked on Amazon. It's an indelible monument to consumerism.

People in some Third World countries can't get their hands on a liter of clean water by selling their children, and we're buying Pet Rocks.