The New York Times: The Follower Factory

In today’s digital-centric world, brands are actively engaging consumers on social media platforms like Twitter. However, as a recent New York Times article notes, brands need to pay close attention to who they’re engaging. Twitter—along with other social media platforms—is filled with fake accounts. By some estimates, there are as many as 48 million fake, active users on Twitter, which is nearly 15 percent of its active accounts. Brands and people are also being accused of purchasing these fake followers to boost their numbers.

Rami Essaid, the founder of cyber security company Distil Networks, told the New York Times, “Social media is a virtual world that is filled with half bots, half real people. You can’t take any tweet at face value. And not everything is what it seems.”

This is especially concerning for brands as social media engagement and influencer partnerships become more important. While having a strong digital presence is partially a numbers game, it’s important for brands to establish relationships with real people in order to maintain credibility with consumers.

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