There's been a growing trend lately of using unconventional means to gain followers on social media.
To be clear, I'm not referring to "follow threads" in blog groups or the follow for follow strategy many people use. I'm not referring to a group of twenty niche bloggers giving away a Marvel prize pack or a handbag.
I'm referring to strategies that result in hundreds if not thousands of international accounts completely unrelated to a bloggers niche. Many of them are "bot" accounts or created for the sole purpose of entering contests or gaming the system. Only a small percentage of the ones that are real accounts are of any benefit to the blogger.
Blogging has become a numbers game. The artificial inflation has created unnatural competition and it's getting ridiculous.
Do I really care at the end of the day if you get your followers from buying them from some website called buyfollowersnowdotcom? Or if you pay hundreds into an International giveaway which may or may not follow Sweepstakes laws?
Not really, I'll still judge you a little, but in the end, I don't care.
You know what's really skeevy about this new method of gaining followers?
That many of the followers you're gaining are skeevy. SKEEVY. Sure, as bloggers, our accounts are generally public. Anyone can see them. BUT do I really want to attract the creepers to my account where they can browse through pictures of my children? Nope nope NOPE.
I came across an account where a blogger had grown her Instagram by nearly 100k this year. One of the very first new profiles following her had a caption "Looking for a F%#k buddy" Now, I'm not a prude, but I sure as heck don't want this type of person associated with my account. If I'm looking, brands are looking.
Can we please stop and think a moment for what we're doing? Is your integrity worth it? Is having your children creeped on worth it?
Not to me.
You do you.
But eventually I'm going to say "I told you so."
Jenn
OMG - all of this.
If you are being followed by accounts that you would be blocking the hell out of if they followed your kid's account and that doesn't bother you - who are you influencing?
I don't care about your numbers but please, think about what you are doing, influencers!
Rossana Wyatt
I love all of this and have been saying it for a while!!