Anyone on Twitter knows fake followers are a dime a dozen. In fact, virtually every major name on Twitter has fake names. It’s a plague on Twitter.
Hence, this article by the Daily Mail sensationalizing Hillary’s fake followers is a bit silly, showing a brand of sloppy journalism that is no surprise for this rag.
The article breathlessly states:
According to two popular online measuring tools, no more than 44 per cent of her Twitter fan base consists of real people who are active in using the social media platform.
And at least 15 per cent – more than 544,000 – are completely fake.
So what.
From an article on Yahoo Small Business that is, ahem, actually well-researched, here are some other public figures and the numbers of their fake followers:
Ten public figures with fake followers
1. Dick Costello, @dickc, CEO of Twitter
2. Jack Dorsey, @jack, CEO & Founder of Square, Co-Founder of Twitter
Follower Breakdown:
2,248,948 Followers
Fake: 25%
Inactive: 39%
Good: 36%
Klout: 85
3. Evan Williams, @ev, Co-Founder of Twitter
Follower Breakdown:
1,593,232 Followers
Fake: 25%
Inactive: 42%
Good: 33%
Klout: 834. Kevin Rose, @kevinrose, General Partner at Google Ventures, Founder of Digg
Follower Breakdown:
1,409,045
Fake: 28%
Inactive: 35%
Good: 36%
Klout: 85
It’s doubtful that Hillary is buying fake followers (although it’s possible). What’s more likely, however, is that her staff has not been vigilant about scrubbing non-existent followers.
Let’s remember that Bill Gates, who could give a rat’s ass about fake or non-fake followers, has 50% fake followers.
(Let it be known that I am not a fan of Hillary Clinton. But I am a fan of accurate reporting.)