Instagram follower count just drop? Here's why!

Shortly after announcing that it had reached 300 million users last week, Instagram stated that it would be adding verified accounts and cracking down hard on spammers. Well it appears that the hammer has officially started coming down, and users are in an uproar over their lost followers.

In response to the ban-hammer, people have taken to none other than Twitter to complain about losing followers:

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Those are just a couple of examples of the collective outcry, but it's important to remember that while such a loss may be heartbreaking to some, all of the accounts that are being deleted are either fake or inactive. It's like those people were never even there. According to Instagram's help page:

We want the to maintain the best possible experience on Instagram, so spam, fake accounts and other people and posts that don't follow our Community Guidelines may be removed from Instagram.

On a slightly less dramatic note, not everyone is playing chicken little:

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Sources: Instagram; Twitter

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
6 Comments
  • The memes on this are hilarious.
  • I like that Instagram did this. Now I don't have to see (do need a job making 70K) Sent from the iMore App
  • It's great they have done this Sent from the iMore App
  • The only people upset about it are those that follow anyone that will follow them back. I just like to follow people I actually know. Getting rid of all the spammers is a great move!
  • Do it again Instagram. You missed some. I saw a page with one pic of an add and a thousand followers. Regardless, i think if you're obsessed with getting followers to the point of wanting bots that aren't real you got issues like esteem problems. Seek help.
  • I wish Twitter would do the same. I'm sure a big chunk of my 7,300 followers are either bots, spammers or abandoned accounts. And I don't have the time to go through and pluck 'em out!