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submitted 2 years ago by janbug@slrpnk.net to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

I noticed these accounts are following a lot of ppl on Spotify including me nd it doesn’t seem like I’m the only one from looking on social media. Does anyone have an answer to this? Bots maybe, ppl spam following?

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[-] bappity@lemmy.world 70 points 2 years ago

one of the following:

  • attention seeker
  • scraper bot
[-] xkforce@lemmy.world 34 points 2 years ago

There are multiple copies of them too it seems because the ones that are following me have slightly different display names

[-] Schaedelbach@feddit.de 12 points 2 years ago

The two (also slightly different names) I see on my Spotify have a "Viral songs on tiktok" playlist in their profile. So it's probably a way to spread/spam songs around?

[-] Floufym@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

I checked after seeing this post. Same for me. They had a slightly different names

[-] Dirk@lemmy.ml 32 points 2 years ago

Most likely bots for either data analysis or playlist generation.

[-] Moghul@lemmy.world 31 points 2 years ago

... you can follow people on Spotify?

[-] u202307011927@feddit.de 3 points 2 years ago
[-] Moghul@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

What does it do? Do you like... see what they're playing? You listen along or something?

[-] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 8 points 2 years ago

Not a lot. Yes you can see what they are playing and they use it to make recommendations for you.

I think the primary motivator for Spotify is just data scraping. Everybody wants to know your circle of friends in order to advertise better towards you.

[-] mifan@feddit.dk 5 points 2 years ago

I don’t know if it’s still a feature but I used to get phone notifications every time a friend put a song on.

I don’t recommend this.

[-] Gadg8eer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 years ago

But I remember we did it. "Okay, Brian, the record's five. The record's five... Okay ready? Go!"

[-] u202307011927@feddit.de 1 points 2 years ago

For me, I follow several artists and it gives updates on when they uploaded a new album etc etc And I follow my siblings and could see what they're listening to, live, if I activated the sidebar but I'm just here to listen to music

[-] Moghul@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

That first part works without following personal accounts too. I don't follow anyone but I get notified when the bands I listen to release new albums. Besides that, I use the release radar playlist.

[-] Interstellar_1@pawb.social 1 points 2 years ago

Yep, you can see what song they're playing if you follow each other. Not sure if it does anything else

[-] Squirrel@thelemmy.club 17 points 2 years ago

I didn't even know people could follow me on Spotify. These two were the only ones.

[-] ianovic69@feddit.uk 14 points 2 years ago

My question with all this is why hasn't everyone switched this off in the settings from the first moment they made an account?

It's no wonder we've become a commodity to the services we use, people just allow it to happen.

[-] kambusha@feddit.ch 18 points 2 years ago

Switched what off? I have my settings about as private as I can do, yet one of those accounts had followed me without me knowing. I blocked them now but I'm not sure what setting you're referring to, in order to prevent some random bot from following you on Spotify?

[-] XbSuper@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

You can follow people on Spotify?

[-] Sylver@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

They would have to follow 44 people a day for 6 years straight to reach 98,000

[-] rwBoho@lemmy.world 59 points 2 years ago

If they follow 98,000 people per day, it would take one day

[-] ryannathans@aussie.zone 26 points 2 years ago

And if my grandmother had wheels she'd be a bicycle

[-] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 years ago

But... I'm not a big fan of bicycles...

[-] Nougat@kbin.social 6 points 2 years ago

I'm a big fan of your grandmother.

[-] u202307011927@feddit.de 1 points 2 years ago
[-] squiblet@kbin.social 8 points 2 years ago

is there a limit of how many people they can follow in a day? Why not 500?

[-] xkforce@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

It does not seem so

[-] MataVatnik@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

Literally noticed this last night on my Spotify

[-] AngryDemonoid@lemmy.lylapol.com 8 points 2 years ago

One of them is following me, but with a bunch of extra spaces after the exclamation point.

I don't usually check my followers, but I happened to be in there a couple days ago. The only person following me then was my wife, so this bot/spam is relatively new.

[-] BlueKittyMeow@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Wtf me too - the Lucas one plus all the spaces. I never even really use Spotify. Creepy.

Edit they are literally my only follower aside from one single friend I know irl.

[-] sailingbythelee@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Wow, thanks. They were following me too, and I had no idea. Blocked.

[-] Dsklnsadog@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

You just lost your biggest fan.... Probably.... Not

[-] sparky678348@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago
[-] ExLisper@linux.community 5 points 2 years ago

Wouldn't it mean they have 98k followers? Not that they follow 98k users? Bad UI?

[-] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 years ago

It doesn't show how many they follow, but it's probably in the millions

[-] shiveyarbles@beehaw.org 5 points 2 years ago

They're

a. Fascinated with your content and commentary

b. Bots

[-] passepartout@feddit.de 4 points 2 years ago

I have set the list of people following me and the ones i follow on private now. This seems to be the only useful thing they could scrape. Why would i care if they can see what music i listen to? It's not like they can see my personal info and link that or is it?

[-] mp3@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago

Thanks, blocked.

[-] rob64@startrek.website 2 points 2 years ago

Oh no, not Lucas!

[-] intensely_human@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago

That’s not really what the word “followers” means.

this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
149 points (92.6% liked)

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