We know by now that companies will go to extreme lengths to boost their followers on Twitter or Facebook, and make them appear more popular than they actually are. But given the shady nature of this, it’s been difficult to determine to what extent this is actually being done. A study by an academic in the digital field – Marco Camisani Calzolari – aims to lift the lid on this. He compiled a study into 39 brands on Twitter, both in Italy where he is based and internationally, using an algorithm to determine the behaviour of followers. Using key indicators into what type of behaviour was likely that of a bot, he found that up to 46% of followers were likely to be automated bots.

via Study finds 46% of company Twitter account followers are bots – Simply Zesty – Simply Zesty.