Not receiving as many likes and follows on Instagram? Here's why

Instagram is coming for your fake followers
Lance Matthew Pahang / Unsplash
Amelia Heathman20 November 2018

Instagram is the platform of "authenticity" which is why the company has revealed its going to be cracking down on inauthentic activity online.

As part of a new policy, Instagram is going to be removing fake likes, follows and comments from accounts that are using third-party apps to boost their popularity.

“Every day people come to Instagram to have real experiences, including genuine interactions. It is our responsibility to ensure that these experiences aren’t disrupted by inauthentic activity,” said Instagram.

The platform is harnessing machine learning to help identify accounts which have fake followers and likes.

If you've ever used an app like ShareSupplier or Instamacro, you will receive a message from Instagram to tell you that the fake likes, follows and comments you've gained from these apps have been removed.

As well as removing fake practices from the app, there’s also another reason Instagram is cracking down on fake likes and follows: security.

In order to use a third-party app to boost your follower count, people often have to share their username and password, allowing the app access to their account details. This is a security red flag, as it allows other actors a way into your account.

Even if you haven’t done this directly, you may have unknowingly shared these details as a way to gain more followers. As a result, Instagram says it will be telling people to change their passwords to revoke any access to their accounts.

If you have fake followers on your account, Instagram will message you to let you know they have been removed
Instagram

Social media platforms have been taking a stand against fake followers and accounts this year.

In July, Twitter revealed it has suspended 70 million accounts in order to weed out fake accounts and bots. It was also turning its attention to locked accounts that had been displaying spammy behaviour, such as tweeting dodgy links or if several people were blocking the account.

“We understand this may be hard for some, but we believe accuracy and transparency make Twitter a more trusted service for public conversation,” Twitter said at the time.

Twitter wants to move away from the emphasis on followers altogether. It has redesigned the iOS app to make the font pointing to follower counts smaller, as a way to deprioritise this kind of information.

In a talk in New Delhi earlier this year, Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey said that focusing on follower counts isn’t the best way to use the platform.

"It is actually incentivizing you to increase that number. That may have been right 12 years ago, but I don't think it is right today. I think what is more important is the number of meaningful conversations you're having on the platform. How many times do you receive a reply?,” said Dorsey.

Given that Twitter’s CEO doesn’t think you need to worry about your follower count, and the fact Instagram is removing fake followers, maybe it is time we stopped worrying about our social media profiles and use our time focusing on other aspects of life instead.

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