When it comes to social media, it is very difficult to stand
out, so people often decide to cheat and buy, YouTube or Instagram
followers and likes. However, while it may look like a shortcut to success,
this strategy is not without its negative implications. Below are ten
disadvantages of buying followers and likes on Instagram and YouTube:
1. Lack of Genuine Engagement
Many of the followers and likes that are bought are fake or
accounts of people who do not use the site at all. These accounts, do not
engage with your content through processes such as liking, sharing, or even
commenting. Comments, shares are much more influential to the algorithms than
the numbers of followers are; therefore, these fake boosts are not helpful in
the long run.
2. Risk of Account Penalties
Instagram and YouTube, two of the most widely used platforms
for content sharing, are built upon the concept of genuine user experience.
They also follow, report and stay alert of any seemingly malicious behaviors,
including abnormal increase in followers/likes from sources that are
unverified. In case of violation, your account might be penalized with shadow
ban, lower reach, or even outright ban.
3. Loss of Credibility
When the primary photo has many followers, while actual engagement
with them is low, it looks suspicious to the audience. It is not difficult for
smart administrators to recognize those accounts with numerous fake followers
and little participation; thus, credibility is hampered. This is not good for
your brand reputation if you are an influencer, business, or content creator.
4. Low Rate of Return on Investment (ROI)
The major aim of people having followers and likes is to
have a pool of people who identify with the brand or content to promote
business or other related opportunities. Basically, bots do not buy products,
collaborate, or engage in any meaningful way. This makes buying followers a
very unprofitable proposition with almost no real world benefit.
5. Negative Impact on Algorithms
It should also be noted that both for YouTube and Instagram
, the functions of recommending content are involved. These algorithms prefer
newsfeeds of contents that engender natural interactions. If you get many fake
followers who do not engage on your posts, your engagement rate reduces, thus
reducing the chances of your content to show up in real users’ interest areas.
6. Potential Legal Consequences
Seeking more followers or likes involves third parties who
break the rules of conduct on sites such as Instagram and YouTube. Engaging
with these services can get your accounts blocked, and you may face legal
consequences from platforms that consider your actions a violation of their
terms.
7. Waste of Financial Resources
The amount of money paid to buy followers and likes should
rather be invested to get organic growth through content creation or
advertising or partnerships. Most of these strategies of getting new followers
filter out the fake followers and other bots and, therefore, the growth in the
number of followers enhances the creation of a solid foundation for the
accounts online presence.
8. Reduced Opportunities for Brand Collaborations
It is common for brands and advertisers to screen
influencers and creators before engaging them. They evaluate parameters such as
engagement percentages and fake followers. If they find out that your followers
are fake they will not work with you since this is counterproductive to their
marketing goals.
9. Loss of Personal or Brand Reputation
The repercussions of getting caught buying fake followers or
likes include ruining your reputation. The public appreciates honesty and
quality in social media and once they are disappointed by seeing that you have
not been honest or have taken shortcuts then there will be a backlash and loss
of respect.
10. Minimal Long-Term Benefits
Gaining more followers and likes by buying them has its
returns but they are short-term and do not have any substance. These followers
are not likely to continue following, interacting or consuming your content in
the long run. On the other hand, organic growth fosters audience engagement
that helps to sustain the company over time.
Conclusion
In the end, purchasing YouTube and Instagram followers and
likes might seem advantageous, but the negatives greatly overshadow the advantages
that come with this. It puts an organization in harm’s way of damaging
credibility and reputation, risking account penalties, and failing to invest in
the kind of growth and engagement that makes for healthy and successful sales.
However, learning how to develop great content, build a strong relationship
with your fan base and how to use genuine techniques marks a much better way
of establishing yourself on social media.
