The tremendously popular person you follow on Twitter (with thousands of followers) might just be faking it.
From actors, politicians, social media stars, brand managers do it by purchasing thousands of followers. This article on NY Times details how a company earned millions in revenue selling bot accounts.
Even an Olympic champion's Twitter account has fake followers. Many buyers of fake followers expressed regret, saying, “I don’t want anybody following me who is not interested in me.”
The danger is "These fake accounts, known as bots, can help sway advertising audiences and reshape political debates. They can defraud businesses and ruin reputations."
No wonder, more people are leaving social media.