An alarming discovery has surfaced regarding bot traffic on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, especially during the recent Super Bowl LVIII.
Data released by cybersecurity firm CHEQ has revealed that a staggering 75.85% of the platform’s traffic to advertisers’ websites was identified as fake, signifying an unprecedented level of inauthentic activity.
This revelation contradicts X’s announcement boasting over 10 billion impressions and 1 billion video views during the Super Bowl, implying a massive engagement on the platform.
However, CHEQ’s findings cast doubt on the authenticity of that engagement, as reported by Mashable.
CHEQ’s CEO, Guy Tytunovich, expressed astonishment at the data, noting that such a high percentage of fake traffic is unprecedented in the industry.
The issue extends beyond the Super Bowl event. CHEQ’s analysis of traffic from X throughout January 2024 also revealed a significantly high rate of fake traffic, with 31.82% of visits being inauthentic.
While the problem of bots and fake users is not new to social media, the scale at which it occurs on X is particularly alarming for advertisers who rely on genuine engagement metrics to assess the effectiveness of their campaigns. The comparison with other platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, where fake traffic percentages were notably lower, underscores X’s unique challenge in managing bot activity.
Under Musk’s leadership, X has undergone numerous changes, including layoffs within the Trust and Safety team, which may have impacted the platform’s ability to combat fake traffic effectively.
The bot issue, coupled with advertisers’ mounting concerns over content moderation, present significant challenges to X’s advertising revenue and overall credibility.
This discovery has raised questions about the integrity of X’s engagement metrics, raising concerns among advertisers who rely on the platform’s credibility to gauge the success of their marketing efforts.