SA's top Twitter users have "fake" followers

[jes]

SA's top Twitter users have "fake" followers

South Africa’s most popular Twitter users continue to grow their followers, but how many of these followers are fake?

[Synaesthesia]

Yeah I also get followed by spambots occasionally. Nothing much I can do about that.

[APoc184]

Yeah I also get followed by spambots occasionally. Nothing much I can do about that.

^ This

They get reported and banned eventually and your follower count might take a dip.

[Matsepane]

I beat them, @senkumatsepane

[ShaunSA]

Between Cliff and Malema it's hard to decide who is SA's top twit

[cbrunsdonza]

I beat them, @senkumatsepane

You got like a 98% bot following, you got a mechanical thing or whot?

[Inertia]

Someone feel like building a GLM?

[Sbudah]

The definition of a fake follower needs to be revisited. After a long conversation around the office about this article, it is clear that many people understand "Fake followers" as those bought from pay-for-follower services. Inactive twitters in SA are high in numbers and will represent the bulk of those labeled as fake.

StatusPeople has no clear way of ascertaining whether one is real or a bot.

[ClintZA]

Surely this is not news to most? I only have around 250 followers and I reckon of that only about 20% are real people! And of those only about 50% actually interact.

[Slootvreter]

This thing that you can actually buy followers is a pretty sad state of affairs. Wonder if I can buy some extra Facebook friends? You know, chicks?

[Sbudah]

Twitter API is said to only allow one to view 5000 followers. StatusPeople claim to sample 100k. How do they do that? 100k of 30m of Gaga's followers is only 0.33% of total - I refuse to believe that that can be considered anywhere close to accurate

[Hamster]

Why the **** would you follow 600k people?