Instagram has stripped millions of followers from several profile accounts in what appears to be an execution of bot purge, sparking about the digital world about authenticity, influence and the online engagement.
The purge reported on Wednesday saw follower counts of celebrities, influencers and entertainment pages drop as the platform eliminated fake, automated and inactive accounts. The bot purge is part of Instagram’s ongoing efforts to restore credibility to its ecosystem.
Previously, Instagram made similar bot purge, but this time round caught off people’s attention, with some influencers losing thousands of followers overnight. It is both a challenge and an opportunity, as those who relied on inflated numbers have lost followers, while genuine accounts stand to benefit from transparency.
This could reshape brand partnerships with advertisers increasing the demand for authentic engagement and could combat misinformation, spam and artificial amplification as it serves as a way of telling users that influence must be earned.
