What are bots on TikTok?
Bots on TikTok are automated accounts that are programmed to perform various actions, such as liking, commenting, following, unfollowing, and reposting content. They are not run by real people. Bots may have a profile photo, username, and posts, but the activity is not human-generated (source: https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-audit/).
The main types of bots on TikTok include:
- Follower bots – Automatically follow and unfollow accounts to inflate followers.
- Like bots – Automatically like posts and comments.
- View bots – Artificially inflate video views.
- Comment bots – Leave generic comments on posts.
- Repost bots – Automatically repost videos to get more views.
Bots may be used to artificially inflate vanity metrics like followers, likes and views. However, bot activity does not lead to meaningful engagement or growth. TikTok has been working to detect and remove bogus bot accounts from the platform (source: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/what-are-bots-on-tiktok-and-what-do-their-links-do).
Prevalence of bots on TikTok
Many studies have illuminated the surging scale of fake accounts and bots spamming the TikTok platform. According to recent statistics, bots make up a staggering 97% of TikTok’s traffic. This reflects the platform’s massive struggle with inauthentic activity and spam.
Bots exhibit particular behavioral patterns on TikTok. They often automatically like, comment on, and follow other accounts in hopes of appearing more human-like. However, their activity lacks true engagement. For example, bots may leave generic comments like “Nice!” or “Awesome video!” on random posts. They also follow and unfollow accounts rapidly to grow their own followers.
According to TikTok’s own moderation reports, fake accounts and spam profiles increased 62% in the third quarter of 2022. The platform claimed to have removed over 33 million accounts during this period for violating community guidelines. Still, the bot epidemic continues to spread.
Motivations for using bot followers
One of the main reasons people buy bot followers is to artificially inflate their follower count and create the illusion of popularity or social proof. Having a high follower number lends a sense of credibility and can make an account seem more established or influential than it really is.
For businesses and influencers, a high follower count signals social authority and reach to potential sponsors and partners. Brands want to work with accounts that have an engaged audience, so buying followers is a tactic some use to make their accounts look more attractive, even if the followers are fake.
Going viral and getting on the “For You” page is another motivation. Accounts with more followers and engagement are more likely to get promoted by TikTok’s algorithm. So some creators buy followers in hopes it will boost their distribution and help them get discovered organically.
The perceived benefits also include potential financial gain. Accounts with lots of followers and views can join TikTok’s Creator Fund or land brand sponsorship deals. While bot followers don’t truly engage with content, the vanity metrics may open monetization doors that require a certain follower threshold.
Psychologically, a higher follower number can also stroke a person’s ego and make them feel popular or admired. The desire for attention and external validation drives some people to inflate their follower count through artificial means.
Potential risks of bot followers
There are several downsides and risks associated with buying bot followers on TikTok:
Getting banned – Using bot followers violates TikTok’s Terms of Service and can result in account suspension or banning. TikTok employs sophisticated systems to detect artificial engagement and regularly removes inauthentic accounts. According to Dash Hudson, buying followers is “absolutely frowned upon” by TikTok.
Lack of engagement – Bots cannot actively engage with your content. Having bot followers results in low engagement rates, which will negatively impact your reach and discovery via the TikTok algorithm. Organic followers are key for driving authentic likes, comments, shares and overall growth.
Lower organic reach – The TikTok algorithm favors content that spurs real engagement. Accounts with bot followers often see posts stagnate, as the bots cannot interact. This makes it harder to reach real audiences.
Wasted money – There are no guarantees when buying bot followers. The accounts can disappear at any time if purged by TikTok. Many services that sell TikTok followers are untrustworthy. According to Fanbytes, buying followers from shady providers is simply “throwing away money.”
Damaged brand reputation – Using bots and artificial engagement tactics contradicts TikTok’s focus on authenticity. It can damage an account’s credibility if discovered. The WikiHow article states buying followers “creates a fake image” and is not worth the risks.
How to spot bot accounts
There are several warning signs that can indicate a TikTok account has fake bot followers. According to HypeAuditor, some things to look out for include:
- Low engagement – Bot accounts often have a high number of followers but very little engagement on their videos in terms of likes, comments, and shares. Authentic accounts tend to have engagement rates of at least 3-5%.
- Generic comments – Bots may leave spammy comments filled with irrelevant hashtags or gibberish text.
- Repetitive content – Bot accounts tend to repost the same types of videos repeatedly.
- No personalized content – Bot accounts do not post original content and lack a unique personality.
There are a few tools available to audit TikTok accounts and detect fake bot followers, such as HypeAuditor and Sociality. These services analyze factors like engagement rates, audience demographics, and posting patterns to estimate the percentage of real vs fake followers.
You can also spot bot accounts manually by looking for the warning signs above. Checking an account’s followers list can reveal other bots that follow them. Building an authentic community takes time, so be wary of accounts that gain thousands of followers overnight.
Organic growth strategies
Rather than pursuing inorganic growth through bots and fake followers, many experts recommend focusing on organic growth strategies to build a real audience on TikTok. Here are some tips for growing your account organically:
Create engaging, high-quality content consistently. Focus on making videos that provide value to viewers by being informative, helpful, entertaining or inspiring. Use trends wisely but aim to also develop your own signature style.
Optimize your videos for discoverability by using relevant hashtags, captions, sounds and effects. Make content optimized for TikTok rather than repurposing content from other platforms.
Interact meaningfully with your audience in comments, Duets, Stitch and liking videos. Build relationships through responding to comments, doing collaborations and going live.
Post content consistently and at optimal times when your audience is most active. Analyze your analytics to determine when your followers are online.
Promote your account off TikTok by cross-promoting on other social platforms. But focus mainly on building your audience within TikTok through engagement.
Overall, the best approach for gaining real followers is to focus on the user experience – creating value, starting conversations and developing an authentic community around your brand.
TikTok’s Efforts Against Bots
TikTok has implemented various policies and detection methods to combat bot accounts and fake engagement on its platform. In their Community Guidelines, TikTok prohibits “artificially inflating popularity” which includes “using third-party services to increase likes, followers, views, or shares”.
TikTok uses machine learning and other technical methods to identify suspicious accounts and activity. When an account is flagged, TikTok may require captcha verification to prove the account is run by a human. According to a ByteDance spokesperson, “TikTok has a zero-tolerance stance on fake, spammy, or otherwise inappropriate engagement” (Source).
TikTok also regularly removes bots and fake accounts from the platform. In 2022, TikTok removed over 15.7 million bot accounts as part of its efforts to promote authentic content (Source). While bot activity still persists, TikTok is continuously improving its detection methods to identify and eliminate fake engagement.
Expert perspectives
Social media experts, influencers and academics have weighed in on the bot follower issue on TikTok. According to social media marketer Sara Perez from SocialPilot, “Depending on your target goals you will want to post more than on other Social Media platforms, the quantity of videos is more important than their quality.” (source).
TikTok influencer and marketer Rob Csernyik notes that “Bookmark this TikTok quotes resource. Find and COPY and PASTE popular TikTok quotes that gets likes, follows, and even leads and sales.” (source).
These expert perspectives highlight the importance of posting engaging, shareable content frequently on TikTok to build a genuine following, rather than relying on bot followers. While bot followers may artificially inflate numbers, they do not truly engage with content or help build an authentic community.
Ethical considerations
There are many ethical concerns related to buying bot followers on TikTok. Some argue that using bots to inflate follower counts is deceptive, as it creates the illusion of popularity and influence that hasn’t been earned organically. This can give bot users an unfair advantage when it comes to things like sponsorships, since brands may be more likely to work with accounts that have higher follower counts. However, these followers aren’t real people actively engaging with content (Navigating the Risks: The Pitfalls of Buying Cheap TikTok Followers).
There are also concerns that buying fake followers defrauds both TikTok and real users, as bot accounts don’t contribute any value to the platform. Some view buying followers as being dishonest or deceptive to audiences, who expect follower counts to reflect genuine interest. This deception could damage credibility and trust between creators and their followers. Overall, many argue that buying bots leads to a dishonest and distorted representation of popularity and engagement on TikTok (Why You Shouldn’t Buy TikTok Followers).
Conclusions
In summary, while bots are prevalent on TikTok for various reasons, using inauthentic engagement tactics can be risky and undermine creators’ efforts to build a genuine following. The key takeaways around TikTok bots include:
- Bots are automated accounts controlled by software that interact with content and profiles.
- Buying bot followers may seem quick and easy but can get accounts suspended and distort analytics.
- Look for signs like no profile photo, repetitive comments, and follow/like patterns to identify potential bots.
- Focus on creating high-quality content, engaging with your audience, and collaborating with others to grow your account organically.
- TikTok employs strict policies against artificial engagement but creators should also be vigilant.
In the competitive world of TikTok, authentic community-building takes time and strategic effort. While the lure of fake followers is always there, staying true to your brand and values is the best path to earning genuine fans.
