How To Differentiate Between Real vs Fake Instagram Followers?

The Ultimate Guide to Differentiating Real vs. Fake Instagram Followers

In the hyper-competitive world of Instagram, where influence is currency and follower counts are a proxy for popularity, the pressure to "keep up with the Kardashians" is stronger than ever. But as the race for Instagram fame has intensified, so too has the proliferation of fake followers – a problem that undermines trust in the platform and makes it harder for users to build authentic communities.

According to a 2019 analysis by cybersecurity firm Cheq, as many as 40% of Instagram accounts may be fake, representing a massive ecosystem of bots, impersonators, and inauthentic activity. For brands, influencers, and regular users alike, being able to differentiate between real and fake followers has never been more crucial.

In this ultimate guide, we‘ll take a deep dive into the world of fake followers on Instagram, exploring the technical underpinnings that enable this phenomenon, the tactics used by fake follower merchants, and the tools and strategies you can use to spot and combat inauthentic activity. Along the way, we‘ll share expert insights, real-world examples, and data-driven best practices to help you navigate this complex landscape and grow your Instagram presence the right way.

Understanding the (API) Anatomy of Fake Followers

To truly grasp how fake followers are created and operate on Instagram, it‘s important to first understand the technical infrastructure that powers the platform‘s ecosystem: APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and web services.

At a high level, APIs are a set of protocols and tools that allow different software systems to communicate and exchange data with each other over the internet. Web services are a type of API that use standardized messaging formats (like XML and JSON) and protocols (like HTTP and SOAP) to enable this communication.

In the context of Instagram, the platform exposes a range of APIs that allow third-party developers to build applications and services that interact with core Instagram data and functionality. For example, there are APIs for fetching a user‘s profile information, accessing their feed of posts, searching for content by hashtag, and much more.

While these APIs are intended to be used for legitimate purposes (like analytics, content management, and e-commerce integrations), they can also be abused by bad actors to automate the creation and operation of fake accounts.

The specific tactics vary, but most fake follower operations rely on some combination of the following techniques:

1. Automated account creation: Using unofficial "bot farms" and hacked together scripts, attackers make bulk calls to Instagram‘s account creation API to programmatically register new fake accounts, often using fake email addresses or phone numbers.

2. Botnet-powered engagement: With an army of fake accounts at their disposal, fake follower merchants then leverage compromised devices and cloud computing resources to automate likes, comments, and other forms of engagement to make the accounts seem legitimate.

3. Reciprocity schemes: Some fake follower services operate "engagement pods" in which real users agree to follow each other in order to game Instagram‘s algorithms. While not as egregious as completely fake bot accounts, this still represents a form of inauthentic coordinated activity.

According to cybersecurity firm Imperva, fake accounts like the ones described above make up as much as 28% of overall website traffic, with bad bots accounting for over 40% of all web activity in 2022. On Instagram, some influencers have seen as much as 90% of their "followers" disappear after the platform conducted sweeps to remove inauthentic accounts.

So how big is the fake follower industry? While exact numbers are hard to pin down due to the underground nature of these services, some estimates suggest it‘s at least a $1.3 billion global business – a staggering sum for what is essentially a gigantic web of deception and fraud.

Spotting the Fakes: Techniques and Tools for Detecting Inauthentic Followers

As the scourge of fake followers has grown, so too has an ecosystem of tools and techniques for detecting and weeding out inauthentic accounts. While there‘s no foolproof way to spot every single fake, there are a number of common red flags and best practices that can help you audit an Instagram account for signs of inflated popularity:

Suspicious follower growth patterns: One of the most obvious signs of fake followers is a sudden, drastic spike in follower count that‘s not tied to any specific viral post or real-world event. If an account goes from 1,000 to 100,000 followers overnight, chances are those new followers aren‘t legitimate. Tools like Social Blade and Hype Auditor can help track an account‘s growth over time and surface suspicious spikes.

Low engagement rates: Another telltale sign of fake followers is an abnormally low engagement rate (likes and comments relative to follower count). While the average engagement rate on Instagram varies by industry and follower size, anything below 1-2% should raise eyebrows. Tools like Grin and Upfluence can automatically calculate an account‘s engagement rate and compare it to benchmarks to detect underperforming accounts.

Spammy, generic comments: Fake accounts that are created and operated in bulk tend to leave short, generic, emoji-laden comments that have nothing to do with the actual content of the post. If a high percentage of an account‘s comments are things like "Great post!" or "👍👍😍" – especially on a photo that‘s not particularly remarkable – that‘s a red flag. Tools like HypeAuditor and Botometer use machine learning to analyze the language patterns of comments to detect likely bot activity.

Suspicious account details: On the profile level, there are a few key details that can help signal an account is fake. These include missing or generic profile pics, sparse or nonsensical bios, no contact info or website links, and account names that are just jumbles of numbers and letters. In isolation these traits don‘t necessarily mean an account is fake, but they can be useful signals as part of a broader audit. Tools like SparkToro and SocialBakers can automatically scan profiles for these suspicious characteristics.

Uneven follower/following ratios: While not always an indicator of fake followers per se, having a dramatically lopsided ratio of accounts followed vs. following can be a yellow flag – especially for non-celebrity accounts. The average Instagram user follows around 400 accounts; if someone is following thousands of accounts but only has a few hundred followers, it could be a sign they‘ve engaged in aggressive (or automated) following to try to inflate their audience. Tools like Modash and Sprout Social track follower/following ratios and benchmark them against industry averages.

Of course, none of these signals are definitive proof that an account‘s followers are fake – but they can be powerful clues that, taken together, paint a picture of an audience that may be more bot than human. The key is to look at the totality of an account‘s profile and activity, not just any one metric in isolation.

To help automate this process, there are a growing number of third-party Instagram auditing tools that analyze an account‘s followers and calculate an overall "authenticity score". These tools look at dozens of different signals – from follower growth and engagement patterns to comment language and account details – and use proprietary algorithms to estimate what percentage of an audience is likely to be real.

Some of the leading Instagram auditing and analytics platforms include:

• HypeAuditor: Analyzes an account‘s followers and engagement to calculate an "Audience Quality Score" on a scale of 1-100, with anything above 70 considered high quality. Also provides detailed breakdowns of an audience‘s demographics, location, and brand affinity.

• Social Blade: Tracks an account‘s follower growth and engagement over time, highlighting any suspicious spikes or drops that could indicate fake activity. Also provides "grades" for an account‘s overall engagement rate and content quality.

• Modash: Analyzes an account‘s followers to identify key demographic and psychographic insights, as well as any red flags for fake or suspicious activity. Provides an overall "Follower Health Score" to assess the quality of an audience.

• InfluencerDB: Provides detailed analytics on an account‘s reach, engagement, and audience demographics, as well as benchmarks to compare performance to industry averages. Includes a "Follower Quality Score" to estimate the percentage of an audience that is real and active.

While these tools can be incredibly helpful for getting a quick, high-level assessment of an account‘s follower quality, it‘s important to remember that they are not perfect. The algorithms and heuristics they use to detect fake activity are constantly evolving, and savvy fraudsters are always finding new ways to evade detection.

Ultimately, the best way to assess the authenticity of an Instagram account is to combine automated tools with manual investigation and good old-fashioned human intuition. By looking at the full context of an account‘s activity and engagement – not just the raw numbers – you can start to paint a more accurate picture of who their real audience is.

The Real Cost of Fake Followers: How Inauthentic Audiences Undermine Instagram‘s Ecosystem

The proliferation of fake followers on Instagram is more than just an annoying nuisance – it‘s a fundamental threat to the integrity and value of the platform as a whole. When a significant portion of the engagement and activity on Instagram is driven by bots and inauthentic accounts, it undermines trust, distorts influence, and ultimately erodes the user experience for everyone.

For brands and advertisers, fake followers represent a massive waste of marketing budget. According to a 2019 study by cybersecurity firm Cheq, fake followers cost advertisers $1.3 billion annually in wasted ad spend and inflated influencer fees. When brands pay to reach an influencer‘s audience, but a significant portion of that audience is fake, they are essentially lighting money on fire.

For influencers and content creators, fake followers can be a short-term ego boost, but they ultimately undermine long-term credibility and growth. Brands are getting savvier about auditing influencer audiences, and having a high percentage of fake followers is becoming an increasingly big red flag. In some cases, brands have even sued influencers for failing to disclose fake followers and exaggerating their reach.

But perhaps most importantly, fake followers erode the fundamental value proposition of Instagram as a platform for authentic connection and expression. When users can‘t tell what‘s real and what‘s fake, when engagement and popularity can be bought rather than earned, it creates an environment of cynicism and mistrust. Users start to question whether the content and conversations they see on Instagram are truly genuine, or just the result of automated manipulation.

According to a 2019 survey by social media analytics firm Hive, 70% of Instagram users have either purchased fake followers or considered doing so. This suggests that the pressure to inflate one‘s popularity on the platform is pervasive, even among everyday users. But as more and more people engage in this sort of inauthentic behavior, it creates a race to the bottom in which true creativity, originality, and genuine engagement are drowned out by a sea of fake activity.

Strategies for Authentic Instagram Growth in the Age of Fakes

So what can brands, influencers, and regular users do to grow their Instagram presence authentically in a world awash in fake followers? While there‘s no silver bullet solution, there are a number of strategies and best practices that can help:

1. Focus on engagement, not just follower count. Rather than fixating on raw follower numbers, prioritize creating content that sparks genuine comments, likes, and shares from real people. Use Instagram‘s native analytics tools to track which posts are resonating most with your audience, and double down on those themes and formats.

2. Leverage hashtags and geotags to reach relevant audiences. Using relevant, targeted hashtags and location tags can help your content get discovered by users who are genuinely interested in your niche or industry. Do some research to find the hashtags that your target audience is actually using, and avoid overly broad or spammy tags.

3. Collaborate with other authentic accounts in your niche. Partnering with other creators and brands that have engaged, relevant audiences can be a great way to cross-pollinate your following and reach new people authentically. Look for accounts that share your values and aesthetic, and brainstorm creative ways to collaborate, like Instagram takeovers, shoutouts, or co-branded content.

4. Engage with your community regularly. Building a loyal, engaged following on Instagram requires more than just posting great content – it requires actively engaging with your audience. Respond to comments and DMs, ask questions and encourage feedback, and make your followers feel heard and valued. The more you treat your Instagram presence as a two-way conversation rather than a one-way broadcast, the more your audience will feel invested in your success.

5. Audit your audience regularly and remove fake followers. Even if you‘re not actively buying fake followers, there‘s a good chance that some percentage of your audience is inauthentic. Use the tools and techniques discussed above to regularly audit your follower list, and don‘t be afraid to block or remove accounts that look suspicious. Having a smaller but more engaged audience is far more valuable than having a large but fake one.

Ultimately, building an authentic, engaged following on Instagram takes time, effort, and a commitment to creating genuine value for your audience. It may not be as quick or easy as buying a bunch of fake followers, but it‘s the only way to build a sustainable, impactful presence on the platform in the long run.

The Future of Fakes: Instagram‘s Uphill Battle Against Inauthenticity

As the fake follower economy has grown more sophisticated and entrenched, Instagram has launched an all-out offensive to try to curb inauthentic activity on its platform. Over the past few years, the company has rolled out a series of updates and initiatives designed to identify and remove fake accounts, incentivize authentic engagement, and give users more control over their experience.

Some of the key steps Instagram has taken include:

• Improving its machine learning algorithms to proactively detect and remove fake accounts, including those that use stolen or recycled profile pictures and exhibit spammy or suspicious activity patterns.
• Introducing new features like "About This Account" and "Account Verification" to give users more transparency into who is behind popular accounts and help them assess their authenticity.
• Updating its policies to prohibit the buying and selling of fake followers and engagement, and shutting down popular third-party apps that facilitate this activity.
• Launching the "Instagram Checkout" feature to make it easier for brands to sell products directly through the app, reducing the incentive for them to work with influencers who have inflated followings.
• Testing hiding like and follower counts in certain markets to reduce the pressure users feel to compete for popularity and engagement.

According to Instagram‘s latest Community Standards Enforcement Report, the company removed over 1.3 billion fake accounts in Q4 2021 alone, a 20% increase from the previous quarter. And in a recent blog post, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri pledged to "rethink the whole experience of what it means to be ‘popular‘ on Instagram" in order to incentivize more authentic and meaningful engagement.

But despite these efforts, the fake follower problem is far from solved. As long as there is demand for quick and easy popularity on the platform, there will be suppliers finding new ways to game the system and evade detection. It‘s an arms race between the fraudsters and the platform, with authentic users caught in the crossfire.

Ultimately, the only true solution to the fake follower epidemic is a fundamental shift in how we think about influence, popularity, and success on social media. As long as we continue to treat follower counts and engagement metrics as the be-all and end-all of online clout, there will always be those looking to take shortcuts and manipulate the numbers.

But if we can learn to value authenticity, creativity, and genuine connection over surface-level popularity, we can start to create a healthier, more sustainable Instagram ecosystem for everyone. By prioritizing quality over quantity, by celebrating true talent and originality over fake fame, we can build a platform that brings out the best in human potential rather than reducing it to a game of bot-driven one-upmanship.

It won‘t be easy, and it won‘t happen overnight. But with a combination of technological innovation, policy enforcement, and cultural change, we can start to turn the tide against the fake follower economy and create an Instagram experience that is more real, more rewarding, and more impactful for us all.