As social media continues taking up the lion’s share of our online time, fake follower bots have emerged as one of the most important concerns. These automated accounts artificially inflate follower counts, misleading both content creators and their genuine followers. According to ExpressVPN’s blog piece, it has come to light that even well-known celebrities are not immune to the proliferation of fake followers on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
However, we need to educate ourselves on the various types of fake follower bots and get acquainted with the characteristics of each in order to be able to traverse the social media world more effectively. In this article, we will look at five of the most common kinds of phoney follower bots and give some helpful hints on how to identify them.
1. The Eggheads
The Eggheads are the typical fake follower bots, and generic egg-shaped profile images often represent them. Eggheads may be found on Instagram. These accounts often lack the ability to communicate with other users and do not have any personal information. They do not contribute significantly to the exchanges that occur and exist merely to inflate follower numbers. Because these accounts do not have any personalization or activity, locating them is a pretty straightforward process.
2. The Zombie Followers
Zombie Followers are fake profiles with very little activity, but they have a few identifying characteristics that make them seem more genuine. They could have arbitrary profile images, unfinished bios, and inconsistent activity levels. At first, they may seem real; nevertheless, a closer look reveals that they are not genuine due to their low involvement levels and inconsistent conduct.
3. The Ghosts
These are fake follower bots that have been created to imitate actual users by utilizing stolen profile images and information. Ghosts have been around since Twitter first launched its follower bots. These profiles often have interactions and bios that give the impression that they are authentic, which makes it more difficult to spot them. On the other hand, if you look more closely at their behaviour patterns and interactions, you can find inconsistencies or generic replies that point to the fact that they are artificial.
4. The Comment Clones
Comment Clones are fake follower bots whose main purpose is to leave generic comments on articles. These comments often include emojis or words that are repeated over and over again but have no connection to the particular text. They are programmed to post a large number of comments in a short period, making it appear that they are actively participating in the discussion. Nevertheless, the absence of relevancy and creativity in their remarks reveals the abricated nature of these accounts.
5. The Numbers Game
The Numbers Game bots are computer programs that automatically follow and unfollow other users’ accounts to increase their follower numbers artificially. They adopt aggressive strategies, such as following hundreds of individuals to unfollow them soon after following them. The goal of this tactic is to increase the number of followers you have and give the impression of being popular. Their abrupt changes in their number of followers are important evidence that they are not legitimate.
Conclusion
There is a persistent problem with fake follower bots on social media platforms, which affects users’ perceptions of popularity and impact. But if we learn the tips and tricks of finding fake follower bots and remain diligent in our observations, we will be able to reduce their negative effects. Be on the lookout for accounts that do not display any personalization, have low participation, or offer remarks that are generic. Pay close attention to rapid changes in the number of followers and activity patterns. In addition, leveraging tools and services provided by a third party might give very helpful insights regarding the genuineness of followers. We will be able to cultivate a social media atmosphere that is more authentic and trustworthy if we vigilantly monitor and solve the issue of the prevalence of false follower bots.
