More than 8.5 percent of Twitter’s customers are not real, but are account-holding, automated programmes.
In its most recent quarterly filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Twitter admitted that about 23 million, or 8.5 percent of Twitter’s monthly active users, “hold accounts that are programmatically updated “without any discernible additional user-initiated action.”
Known as Twitterbots, or simply “bots,” the programs are used for an array of different purposes ranging from the creation of revenue-generating URLs to the acquirement of instant followers for those willing to buy them.
The ease with which the bots can be created could be a problem for the social network as the the market’s confidence in Twitter is linked primarily to its viability as an advertising platform.
Twitter’s market value has fluctuated drastically since its IPO as investors pondered if the site really was worth the money. If people think that one in ten of Twitter customers is not real that they will be even more concerned.
