Deceitful X Users: Gaining Followers Through Deception Instead Of Honesty

BY ISAAC ASABOR*

Social media, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter), has always been a platform for people to express themselves, share ideas, and increase their influence by gaining followers. However, a concerning trend has emerged: instead of requesting that others follow them honestly, some users resort to deception in order to increase their following. These users are not necessarily scammers in the traditional sense, but their deceptive behaviour is causing a problem on the platform.

The strategy is simple but devious. A user makes a post, often pretending to give something away, offer financial assistance, or share a prize in honour of a personal achievement. In reality, there is no giveaway or assistance, only the intention to deceive. The goal is to entice people to interact with the post, thereby attracting attention, sparking engagement, and ultimately increasing followers.

For example, users may post something like: “Send your account, and I will give away N5,000 to five people!” In some cases, they even post deceptive messages like, “Follow me and retweet this for a chance to win a brand-new phone!”

While the language may differ, the goal remains the same: to capitalise on the curiosity or hope of other users in order to increase engagement. In some cases, users will even follow through with small giveaways to maintain the facade, but the vast majority of these posts are simply tricks to inflate their follower count.

In this context, you might have asked, “Why Do They Do It?” The answer to your question is not farfetched, as the primary motivation is to quickly and efficiently increase their following, as social media metrics are frequently viewed as a measure of credibility. With more followers, users can increase their social influence, attract potential business opportunities, gain attention from brands looking for influencers to promote their products, and elevate their status within the X community.

These users believe that the end justifies the means. Instead of organically increasing their followers by providing valuable content, they resort to deception, putting follower numbers ahead of genuine interaction and trust.

At first glance, this follower-building strategy may appear harmless in comparison to financial scams. However, this deceptive behaviour can have long-term negative consequences for both the platform and its users. This is because it reduces trust. Trust is essential to the success of social media platforms. When users begin to question every interaction or the legitimacy of every giveaway or offer, the platform’s very foundation weakens. People are less likely to interact with others, which limits the sense of community that X seeks to foster.

Similarly, the deception wastes the time and energy of the platform’s innocent users. This is because many users are drawn in by the promise of rewards and spend time interacting with deceptive posts, only to be disappointed. This wastes their time and contributes to the growing frustration many people experience on social media.

In addition, the deception generates false metrics. Despite the allure of their posts, these deceptive X users frequently gain followers who are not genuinely interested in their content. This gives a distorted picture of their true influence. Brands or businesses seeking to collaborate with influencers based on their follower count may discover that these users provide little real value in terms of reach or engagement.

Growing a follower base organically on X takes time, effort, and genuine interaction. Instead of posting valuable content that engages the community, these deceptive users take shortcuts, abusing algorithms and fellow users’ trust. They can generate more shares, likes, and followers by masking their intentions with fake offers than they would by using legitimate methods.

The allure of a quick follower boost can be appealing, especially since follower count is frequently used as a status symbol. However, the benefits of deception are fleeting. Eventually, many followers realise the truth, and the trust deficit caused by such deception can harm the user’s reputation in the long term.

While the number of followers may appear to be important in today’s social media landscape, the goal should be genuine engagement. X users should prioritise building genuine relationships with their audience by providing authentic content and meaningful interactions. It is preferable to have a small, loyal following than a large, disinterested one acquired through deception.

Those who use deception to increase their follower count should consider the value of trust and authenticity. There is no harm in openly asking for followers or promoting content honestly. Social media is intended to be a place for connecting and sharing, not for duping others into following for non-existent rewards.

Deceitful users on X may not be scammers in the traditional sense, but their deceptive tactics for gaining followers undermine the platform’s credibility. Instead of cultivating genuine relationships and establishing a community of engaged followers, they prioritise rapid, artificial growth.

As users, we must be aware of these tactics and encourage authenticity, both in our own behaviour and in our expectations from others. Social media should be a place for genuine connections, not one full of tricks and false promises.