While I’ve been on Twitter for some time now, I’ve only recently found an irritating act some users do. A user follows a large number of other users. By default, each of these users will be notified this user is now following them. A few days later, this user unfollows many of these users.

Human curiosity makes us want to know who follows us, so we click the link to this user’s timeline in the email notification. The first thing I look at is the ratio of followers to following. If you’re following several hundred users and have few followers, my first thought is you’re a spammer.  Or an overly bored unpopular user.

I’ll give you the benefit of doubt. If your tweets aren’t interesting, I will delete the email and continue with my day. I won’t follow you. I already have way more tweets from those I follow that I don’t need even more wasting the little precious time I have.

What I find fascinating is that many of these random followers will unfollow me a few days later. This catches my attention. My first thought used to be what did I tweet that could have offended the follower. Now I just don’t care.

This has happened with more frequency. I’m starting to believe there’s a motive behind these users, and it’s not interest in what I say. They want people to follow them!

Here’s what I think happens. Follow a user who is actively tweeting. Hopefully some will feel obligated to follow you back. While they are busy tweeting their lives, unfollow them and you have another follower to add to your count.

Some questions I won’t discuss that come to mind are:

1. why does a user feel obligated to follow someone who follows them, but doesn't know personally (or even have a connection with!)
2. doesn't Twitter still have a record you followed and unfollowed, so you can still be flagged for following a large number of users (aka spammy activity!)
3. exactly what do you get out of having someone follow you if it isn't a mutual connection?

If you’re thinking of following and unfollowing me, please move on to your next victim. Better yet, delete your Twitter account.