Instagram uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human moderators to detect and remove inauthentic accounts from the platform.
Here are some patterns and behaviors that may indicate an account is inauthentic:
- High follower-to-engagement ratio: If an account has a large number of followers but low engagement rates, it may be using fake followers to artificially inflate its numbers.
- Sudden spikes in follower count: If an account suddenly gains a large number of followers in a short period of time, it may be using bots to follow other users and gain followers in return.
- Irregular posting patterns: Inauthentic accounts may post irregularly or inconsistently, as they may be managed by bots or multiple users.
- Low-quality content: Inauthentic accounts may post low-quality or irrelevant content that is meant to attract engagement and follows.
- Repetitive or generic comments: Bots or inauthentic accounts may post repetitive or generic comments on other users’ posts to try to gain attention or followers.
- Using the same set of hashtags: Inauthentic accounts may use the same set of hashtags on every post, regardless of the content of the post, in an attempt to gain more visibility.
- Following and unfollowing users: Inauthentic accounts may use the follow/unfollow tactic to gain more followers, following users only to unfollow them later.
- Profiles with incomplete information: Inauthentic accounts may have incomplete or fake profile information, including profile pictures and bios.
- Posting spam or scams: Inauthentic accounts may post spam or scam content, such as fake offers or promotions, to try to trick users into clicking on their links.
Instagram uses these and other patterns to detect and remove inauthentic accounts from the platform, as they violate the platform’s community guidelines and can harm the user experience.
