Did you know that you could purchase Instagram followers for just a couple of bucks? Social networks are aware of this new phenomenon, and they are clamping down on this questionable practice because some believe it deceives fans.
The media spotlight is once again shining on the purchasing of fake followers. Recently, social media giant Instagram reported that it would be eliminating all spammy accounts.
The photo-sharing website isn't the only social media platform plagued with fake accounts. Its microblogging competitor Twitter has had its own problems with the infiltration of fake followers.
Instagram has already started to deactivate and permanently remove these accounts. This move will certainly affect accounts that rely on fake users, such as bloggers, politicians, and celebrities.
Whether intentionally or not, public figures have fake followers. During the 2012 election campaign, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney suddenly had a surge of 116,000 followers in one day.
Of course, it may seem trivial to the average person. Why would someone buy fake followers on any social media outlet? But this "follower economy" is in fact big business. A company that offers this service can charge anywhere from $5 per 1000 followers to $5 per 100 followers.
For instance, according to the owner of YTView.com, some clients and agencies spend more than $10,000 per month to buy Instagram followers and likes. Although the firm declined to reveal clients' names, it did note that several large companies and a few big-name artists and musicians are part of its clientele. YTView.com maintains more than 50,000 customers.
What do customers receive with such a service? Well, to sum it up: just a number. In actuality, these followers won't be reposting any of the user's content, initiating a conversation, or favoriting tweets and posts. All it does is show an immense following. To the public, the account will appear to be popular, which is good enough for interested buyers.
The social media industry has become oversaturated in the last few years. Facebook has one billion users, while Twitter has more than 284 million. Therefore, to get noticed in a short period of time, small- and medium-sized businesses and startups take advantage of these services.
Moreover, successful personalities with a large fan base can make large sums of money for endorsing products, liking brands, or retweeting comments. This generates a tremendous amount of pressure for Internet celebrities to garner a massive following to experience this same level of success.
Brands and personalities will likely never concede to acquiring social media followers. However, after investigating several accounts, experts say some patterns and trends exist.
"If you look at the fake accounts, their followers, and who they're following, some patterns emerge. Most of the fake accounts tend to follow thousands of people and don't have many followers themselves," stated former The Verge reporter Adrianne Jeffries.
Jeffries continues by saying, "A subset of the accounts they are following have more than 10,000, and sometimes 100,000 followers. These larger accounts, like this one for @nfengphoto, are probably the ones buying fake followers."
In the end, the issue of purchasing a social media following isn't exactly problematic and may not be any of our biggest concerns as a society. However, it may prompt the public to ask: is this Instagram account's following organic or was it simply bought?
Image courtesy of YTView.com's website.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.