General Discussion

Agschmid

(28,749 posts) Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:23 PM Dec 2014

Instagram Killed Off Thousands Of Spambots And People Are Going Crazy Because They Lost Followers

Instagram has been promising all year to remove inactive or fake accounts from follower/following lists.

A statement posted to the site says: “When we remove accounts from Instagram that don’t follow our Community Guidelines, you may see a decrease in your follower count. This shouldn’t affect engagement from authentic accounts that like and comment on your posts.”

As Business Insider revealed, a lot of these accounts were deactivated by Instagram a while ago: All that’s happening is they’re now being deleted.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/instagram-killed-off-thousands-of-spambots-and-people-are-go

Needless to say the people who lost followers (even if they were spam bots) are not happy. I for one am happy to see the Instaspam go!

Oh the Internet, such a lovely place...

36 replies

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Highlight:

Instagram Killed Off Thousands Of Spambots And People Are Going Crazy Because They Lost Followers (Original Post) Agschmid Dec 2014 OP

ROFLMAO !!!! nichomachus Dec 2014 #1

ha! frylock Dec 2014 #24

The Same Number As Before! ProfessorGAC Dec 2014 #32

I used to have a lot of imaginary followers... Kalidurga Dec 2014 #2

Haha yup! Agschmid Dec 2014 #3

Wait...wut? HappyMe Dec 2014 #6

Yup... Agschmid Dec 2014 #8

That's kind of sad. HappyMe Dec 2014 #9

Ah, okay. Now I get it. Iggo Dec 2014 #18

I used to have my own army. ohnoyoudidnt Dec 2014 #22

Me, too! I had to imagine all sorts of reasons for them to unfollow. marble falls Dec 2014 #4

LOL! What idiots. HappyMe Dec 2014 #5

I like instawhatever but I don't suffer from FOMO. Agschmid Dec 2014 #7

I think it's okay. HappyMe Dec 2014 #12

It would definitely be like doing SOMETHING with your hand.... TeeYiYi Dec 2014 #10

LOL! HappyMe Dec 2014 #14

For some its the only life & social status they have. Historic NY Dec 2014 #11

Maybe they are shocked to find out that they aren't everybody's darling? DetlefK Dec 2014 #13

But they never lost their heads... Orrex Dec 2014 #16

Changes Basic LA Dec 2014 #15

I personally almost never post a picture of myself it's more like stuff or things... Agschmid Dec 2014 #19

Sounds good Basic LA Dec 2014 #23

Haha! blogslut Dec 2014 #17

Wow, look at all the narcissists. Odin2005 Dec 2014 #20

people make money through this sites, so i am not sure its narcissism La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2014 #21

People get paid by the amount of followers they have? Iggo Dec 2014 #25

i think its the way they link to other sites for their followers La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2014 #27

That makes sense. Iggo Dec 2014 #29

the other thing is that popularity leads to popularity, so a makeup artist with La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2014 #31

It Makes Sense In A Very Convoluted Way ProfessorGAC Dec 2014 #33

why would they need trust here? La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2014 #34

That was kinda my thought. Iggo Dec 2014 #35

Cracks me up. -nt Bonx Dec 2014 #26

I use twitter, never have used yuiyoshida Dec 2014 #28

Hopefully that means the end of these ridiculous messages: Initech Dec 2014 #30

I never use any of these, however, I have heard of a service that inflates the number of followers Xyzse Dec 2014 #36

nichomachus

(12,754 posts)

1. ROFLMAO !!!!

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:26 PM

Dec 2014

Having spambot followers is like having an imaginary girlfriend.

frylock

(34,825 posts)

24. ha!

Reply to nichomachus (Reply #1)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:39 PM

Dec 2014

these people are pathetic! who is going to see pictures of their food now?!!

ProfessorGAC

(65,078 posts)

32. The Same Number As Before!

Reply to frylock (Reply #24)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 04:11 PM

Dec 2014

That's what they don't get. Those followers weren't real, so they didn't lose anything.

They're all upset over nothing.

Kalidurga

(14,177 posts)

2. I used to have a lot of imaginary followers...

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:30 PM

Dec 2014

but, then they started to spread rumors and lies about me so I had to cut em loose.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

3. Haha yup!

Reply to Kalidurga (Reply #2)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:38 PM

Dec 2014

People pay for these spam bots to follow and "like" their posts, I just don't get it.

HappyMe

(20,277 posts)

6. Wait...wut?

Reply to Agschmid (Reply #3)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:41 PM

Dec 2014

They pay to have followers?!

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

8. Yup...

Reply to HappyMe (Reply #6)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:42 PM

Dec 2014

Yesterday, Instagram began the process of getting rid of all the spam accounts in its system, which has proved to be really embarrassing for all the people who bought a load of spambots to make themselves look more popular than they are.

Buying fake YouTube views, Facebook likes or Instagram followers has become something of an epidemic over the past few years. While it's undoubtedly "uncool", a lot of people do it in a bid to appear way more popular than they really are. This means that a lot of celebrities have been caught red-handed boosting their popularity with bots in what's being dubbed "The Instagram Rapture".

37-year old rapper Ma$e got caught with an awful lot of imaginary friends. He saw an alarming drop in followers, from 1.6 million to 100,000. Unable to confront the idea that everyone knew he'd bought them from a site like Buzzoid at a rate of $3 for 100 followers, Ma$e subsequently deleted his account. Tyga lost half of his followers, plummeting from 5.5 million to 2.2 million.

A developer called Zach Allia compiled an extremely handy graph to help us all understand just whose popularity was hit. There were incredible scenes at the top of the "percentage lost" table, where a user called @chiragchirag78 lost 99.998% of his followers, falling from a gargantuan 3,660,448 followers to a measly eight. The account no longer exists, but points to a worrying and expensive condition - addiction to buying Instagram followers.

http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/23000/1/the-cult-of-buying-fake-followers-exposed-by-instagram-cull

HappyMe

(20,277 posts)

9. That's kind of sad.

Reply to Agschmid (Reply #8)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:45 PM

Dec 2014

Iggo

(47,558 posts)

18. Ah, okay. Now I get it.

Reply to Agschmid (Reply #8)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 01:07 PM

Dec 2014

Kinda sad.

ohnoyoudidnt

(1,858 posts)

22. I used to have my own army.

Reply to Kalidurga (Reply #2)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:00 PM

Dec 2014

It looked kind of like this:

marble falls

(57,112 posts)

4. Me, too! I had to imagine all sorts of reasons for them to unfollow.

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:38 PM

Dec 2014

HappyMe

(20,277 posts)

5. LOL! What idiots.

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:39 PM

Dec 2014

Wouldn't having a ton of spambot followers be like talking to your hand?

I'm so glad I am not on twitter or instawhatever.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

7. I like instawhatever but I don't suffer from FOMO.

Reply to HappyMe (Reply #5)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:41 PM

Dec 2014

HappyMe

(20,277 posts)

12. I think it's okay.

Reply to Agschmid (Reply #7)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:47 PM

Dec 2014

I know a couple of people that are missing out on real life because they spend so much time on FB, twitter and instagram.

TeeYiYi

(8,028 posts)

10. It would definitely be like doing SOMETHING with your hand....

Reply to HappyMe (Reply #5)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:45 PM

Dec 2014

re: Wouldn't having a ton of spambot followers be like talking to your hand?

TYY

HappyMe

(20,277 posts)

14. LOL!

Reply to TeeYiYi (Reply #10)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:50 PM

Dec 2014

Can't argue with that.

Historic NY

(37,451 posts)

11. For some its the only life & social status they have.

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:45 PM

Dec 2014

buying imaginary friends.

http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/23000/1/the-cult-of-buying-fake-followers-exposed-by-instagram-cull

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)

13. Maybe they are shocked to find out that they aren't everybody's darling?

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:50 PM

Dec 2014

Orrex

(63,216 posts)

16. But they never lost their heads...

Reply to DetlefK (Reply #13)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 01:00 PM

Dec 2014

Hey, spambots, take a walk on the wild side.

Basic LA

(2,047 posts)

15. Changes

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 12:55 PM

Dec 2014

I'm not up to speed on Instagram (is it still all iPhone selfies?) but when Flickr started rearranging the site, it confused & angered millions, though it seems to have settled down now.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

19. I personally almost never post a picture of myself it's more like stuff or things...

Reply to Basic LA (Reply #15)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 01:13 PM

Dec 2014

At least to me.

Basic LA

(2,047 posts)

23. Sounds good

Reply to Agschmid (Reply #19)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:13 PM

Dec 2014

Maybe Instagram has it too, but I like that Flickr has two viewing/posting options, one for family & friends, & one for real photography. Although sadly I'm seeing that line crossed more often lately.

blogslut

(38,002 posts)

17. Haha!

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 01:04 PM

Dec 2014

I wonder how many "Internet Marketing Consultants" got follower-razed?

Odin2005

(53,521 posts)

20. Wow, look at all the narcissists.

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 02:43 PM

Dec 2014

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)

21. people make money through this sites, so i am not sure its narcissism

Reply to Odin2005 (Reply #20)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 02:44 PM

Dec 2014

as much as the threat to losing money.

Iggo

(47,558 posts)

25. People get paid by the amount of followers they have?

Reply to La Lioness Priyanka (Reply #21)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:41 PM

Dec 2014

Not surprising they'd create ghost followers then, I guess.

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)

27. i think its the way they link to other sites for their followers

Reply to Iggo (Reply #25)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:46 PM

Dec 2014

so i follow a bunch of makeup artists who then lead me to their youtube pages which then leads to compensation.

not sure how it works for others, but basically your advertising pool looks like it's shrinking, which is why people are mad.

Iggo

(47,558 posts)

29. That makes sense.

Reply to La Lioness Priyanka (Reply #27)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:58 PM

Dec 2014

Thanks.

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)

31. the other thing is that popularity leads to popularity, so a makeup artist with

Reply to Iggo (Reply #29)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 04:09 PM

Dec 2014

10,000 followers will def be suggested to me by instagram, one with 3 followers, not so much.

people are very rarely all suffering for a personality disorder. chances are they are reacting because its negatively effecting them.

ProfessorGAC

(65,078 posts)

33. It Makes Sense In A Very Convoluted Way

Reply to Iggo (Reply #29)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 04:14 PM

Dec 2014

If what Lioness is saying is accurate, it's a badly flawed business model, since nobody can trust anybody.

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)

34. why would they need trust here?

Reply to ProfessorGAC (Reply #33)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 04:26 PM

Dec 2014

Iggo

(47,558 posts)

35. That was kinda my thought.

Reply to ProfessorGAC (Reply #33)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 04:31 PM

Dec 2014

Too easy to game the system.

Bonx

(2,053 posts)

26. Cracks me up. -nt

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:41 PM

Dec 2014

yuiyoshida

(41,832 posts)

28. I use twitter, never have used

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 03:52 PM

Dec 2014

instagram ever, and don't care. But, yeah this is kinda funny.

Initech

(100,081 posts)

30. Hopefully that means the end of these ridiculous messages:

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 04:03 PM

Dec 2014

"Just like (insert name here)'s story, it is truly unbelievable. I made $xxx an hour by working on my laptop. My last paycheck was $XXXXX and I just bought an (insert car model and year)."

Xyzse

(8,217 posts)

36. I never use any of these, however, I have heard of a service that inflates the number of followers

Reply to Agschmid (Original post)

Fri Dec 19, 2014, 04:32 PM

Dec 2014

Businesses and celebrities supposedly use it to make them look like they are trending or some such.

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