Buying Instagram followers started out as a little secret among public figures to create an illusion of popularity, but has now turned into a well known and frequently used method for gaining more Instagram followers. Although most people have heard about it and realize that the majority of businesses and public figures may have bought their followers, why do so many more people continue to jump onto the bandwagon of purchasing followers when they realize it’s fake?
People Believe The Followers Are Active
Most people have heard of buying Instagram followers but many don’t understand the accounts are inactive. When they hear people using the term, faking their number, they only think that followers have been bought. Thinking that after buying these Instagram followers they can work hard with promotion and win them over as a real client. What they haven’t realized is that most bought followers are from inactive accounts and therefore will not show any interest in their business.
Youth Feeds The Trend
It has been noted that Instagram has more sign ups then Facebook. Why? Simply because younger people find it cooler than it’s owner, Facebook. A large percentage of the bought Instagram followers are being purchased from a younger audience around teenage years. The need to look cool and popular among friends drives the market for Instagram followers.
More Instagram Followers Equals Fame
Everyday there seems to be a new Internet sensation going viral via a social platform. First it was Youtube and then Facebook and now everyone seems to be getting famous through Instagram. Many people, especially the younger audience, purchase Instagram followers thinking they can increase their audience and become the next online sensation. The reality is that fake followers are easily detected and therefore no matter how big your number is, if they’re not real they are worth nothing.
Thinking It Will Help SEO
Many businesses have heard that social shares help with SEO and this is the reason why they buy Instagram followers among other social signals. This is true to a degree, for example, when a follower reposts your comment or post it will give you a boost in search rankings. However, if the followers that your have purchased are from inactive accounts the likelihood of them reposting your content are slim, therefore, having little impact on your SEO efforts.
Fitting In With The Crowd
A lot of people feel the pressure to fit in. Especially in cases of local businesses, if every other business around them has bought thousands of Instagram followers and their business has less then 100, it may make the business look less established or popular. It is the never-ending popularity contest that is essentially behind what drives the need for people to buy Instagram followers.
At the end of the day, there is not much harm in buying Instagram followers. But it you are working seriously at building an online profile the bought followers are not worth much. To build a real audience you must work hard at gaining each and every one. Real fans can’t be bought.