Where did all my ‘followers’ go?

Instagram announced last month that they are in the procedure of eliminating inauthenticity from the platform. They aim to do so by identifying and removing fake followers and comments using the likes of machine learning. 

“Recently, we’ve seen accounts use third-party apps to artificially grow their audience. Everyday people come to Instagram to have real experiences, including genuine interactions. It is our responsibility to ensure these experiences aren’t disrupted by inauthentic activity.” – Instagram 

Third party apps often gain likes and follows by inauthentically liking post and following accounts. For analysing followers to increase engagements, these apps often require the users password.

Instagram’s decision to “purge” these followers aligns with their desire to keep the platform secure. 

Read more here:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/11/217339/instagram-purge-fake-followers-accounts-remove

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/02/13/instagram-kylie-jenner-other-users-suddenly-lose-followers/2861536002/