Instagram Just Murdered All of Its Robots That's why your follower count just went down.

By Laura Entis

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

2nix Studio | Shutterstock

Instagram just made good on its promise to clean up its site by purging all the inactive and bot accounts. And there were so many! In cleaning up its platform, Instagram lost millions of accounts just days after announcing it had reached a milestone of 300 million active users.

While Instagram doesn't seem too concerned – the company received a sky-high valuation this week of $35 billion from Citibank, much more than the $1 billion Mark Zuckerberg paid for it back in April 2013 – the same can't be said for some of its users, many of whom woke up to a reverse-Christmas scenario of sorts.

Predictably, celebrities and public figures were hit pretty hard, although some fared worse than others. Handily, web developer Zach Allia has organized a graph illustrating how many followers, as well as the percentage of followers, Instagram's top 100 accounts lost in what some are calling the "Instagram Rapture."

Related: Twitter Co-Founder: 'I Don't Give a Sh*t' If Instagram Has More Users

As you can see, most accounts on the list lost about 3 to 8 percent of their followers. A few saw a considerably larger slice evaporate – Justin Bieber is down 3.5 million of them, or nearly 15 percent of his former total, while Bruno Mars went from 3.6 million to 2.8 million, a 23 percent decline. And then there were the accounts that got absolutely ravaged – Akon saw his follower count slide from 4.3 to 1.9 million followers (a loss of 56 percent), while rapper Ma$e, who went from 1.6 million followers to around 100,000 overnight, has shut down his account.

The size of the purge highlights the ease with which people can purchase followers on social media. A million Instagram followers, for example, can be bought for a mere $3,700 which probably helps explain why Ma$e retreated from Instagram altogether; his plummeting follower count suggests that he purchased bots to pump up his Insta-image.

Interestingly, the brands that managed to crack the top 100 saw a notably less dramatic decrease in followers -- Nike (a 2.8 percent drop), H&M (2.7 percent), GoPro (2.5 percent drop) and Louis Vuitton (2.9 percent) – indicating that the engagement they create on the platform is real.

In the massacre's aftermath, public personalities and normals alike have reacted to the loss. There was much outrage. Some denial. Quite a bit of humble bragging, as well as pockets of acceptance.

Related: Fake Twitter Followers: How Many Do You Have?

Below are a few popular reactions.

Outrage

Glee Humble bragging And finally, acceptance
Wavy Line
Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Editor's Pick

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Growing a Business

Sam Fonseca of Roll-Em-Up Taquitos on Simplicity for Successful Restaurants

Interview with Roll-Em-Up Taquitos COO Sam Fonseca about the power of social media, adjusting for customer expectations, and keeping Mama Karen's legacy alive.

Leadership

How to Get Unstuck From Stress and Find Solutions Inside Yourself

Executive coach and author Susan S. Freeman discusses finding a healthy problem-solving mindset in her new book, 'Inner Switch: 7 Timeless Principles to Transform Modern Leadership.'

Business News

California Woman Arrested For $60 Million Postal Service Scam

Lijuan "Angela" Chen faces two charges that each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Business News

A Wegmans Employee Allegedly Stole Over $500,000 from the Company

Alicia Torres pleaded guilty to crimes carried out over nine years while working at Wegmans in Webster, New York.

Business News

Apple Just Unveiled Its VR Headset. What You Need to Know.

The Vision Pro is Apple's first major product launch since AirPods.