Introduction
In today’s world, getting your content in front of an audience is easier than ever. YouTube is everywhere, social media is ubiquitous, and Twitch has become a go-to place for gamers looking to share their hobby with others.
Apparently a genuine audience just isnt enough for some Twitch streamers. There have been some very popular accounts found to have large amounts of bot-followers inflating popularity metrics.
Twitch is addressing the unexpected influx of new bot accounts
Twitch is working on the sudden flood of new bot accounts. Twitch has a team dedicated to fighting bots and has been using machine learning to detect bots.
They’re also using human moderators who can see what’s happening behind the scenes before posting something.
There are still some ways that you can help fight against these programs, though:
If you believe your account is being targeted by bots, Twitch recommends that you report any users the are offering botting services. While they handle the situation, stay calm and civil as you simply explain the situation.
The key to Twitch’s success is no longer Twitch itself
The online community is evolving. Gone are the days where you can simply stream games and expect a viewership. You need to be social and consistent for the platform to work for you.
You also need to be interactive and authentic; if people don’t feel like they know who or what they are watching, they won’t stick around long enough for it all to become meaningful.
Sometimes people find accounts with higher viewership more appealing. It’s no wonder some streamers have resorted to taking botters up on their offers for fake viewers.
Botting is not the only symptom of Twitch’s dying ability to ignite success in the streaming community.
Many people are finding more success with engaging their audiences on platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram and Youtube.
It’s their engagement on these platforms that seems to be driving their viewership to the Twitch platform. But without them, it’s hard to get the interest from new eyes on Twitch alone.
Of course these alternate platforms have temptations of their own. And we know it’s not just your everyday streamer or influencer that is getting caught with bot followers. Big celebrities have been caught red handed too!
Celebrities have been caught on Instagram using websites like iDigic to buy followers and likes. This is a problem because it makes the platform look less authentic, which makes people question its legitimacy.
A claim has been made by a Twitter page, which goes by the name ‘Now HipHop News’. The page tweeted two images of the rapper’s Instagram follower count, which shows the number of inactive followers on her profile.
The page wrote along with the photos, “BREAKING NEWS: Nicki Minaj has been caught buying followers on Instagram.” The image shows the 39 year old singer’s total Instagram followers as 193.99 million, out of which 79.8 million have been categorized as real followers, and 114.3 million accounts are termed as inactive followers.
Instagram has since cracked down on this practice through a series of changes designed to make sure that influencers aren’t able to manipulate their numbers or increase their follower counts beyond what would be reasonable for an account with similar content as theirs.
Explaining the art of internet celebrity forgery via Instagram
If you’re serious about growing your audience, you must know how Instagram influencers are faking online fame.
They may have thousands of followers, but they aren’t real people. The “Followers” tab on their profile shows only numbers.
No names or photos. And those numbers don’t mean anything; the best way to tell if someone has many followers is by checking out their comments section on other people’s posts.
Influencers with droves of fake followers tend to have minimal interaction in the form of likes and comments on their posts compared to the superfluous numbers on their follower counts.
Advantages of Genuine Followers versus Fake Ones
Real followers are a great way to build your audience and gain momentum. Here are some reasons why:
Real followers are more likely to become real customers. If you have a good product, you mustn’t just attract the attention of people who will never buy anything from you or engage with your brand, but instead, reach out and make connections with those who might become future customers.
Real followers engage with the brands and people they follow because they feel there is value in what that influencer or brand is sharing with their community.
When someone sees themselves as part of something larger than themselves, that resonates with them emotionally, they want to be a part of it!
Even regular people and small-time influencers are faking their way to fame on Instagram.
In an experiment conducted on HBO’s new documentary “Fake Famous”, writer-director Nick Bilton was able to take some nobodies with a small following and through the cheap and nasty tactic of buying followers, he was able to create two fully fledged, famous Instagram influencers (give or take a number of fabulous lifestyle images).
His plan was based on the old saying ‘fake it till you make it’ and if Instagram influencers can pull it off…why shouldn’t a streamer be able to pull off the same stunt?
As it turns out, celebrity accounts are the ones that that have the highest rates of fake followers.
In a study conducted by VPN Overview, it was discovered that the highest rates of bot followers in the world are actually celebrity accounts.
In the top 10 overall celebrities on Instagram category, Kylie Jenner came up as the celeb with the most fake followers with a whopping 106.2 million bot followers!
If the biggest names in the world can benefit from inflated follower counts, it’s no wonder small time brands and people are attempting to have a chunk of that success with fake follower services.