Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment.
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@MichelPatrice @_elena here’s the story behind that https://docpop.org/2026/01/the-punk-rock-turtles-test/
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Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment.
I'm noticing an uptick in people following me who have weird usernames (lots of numbers), no profile photo, and 0 followers - I'd say 90% of new followers from the past week or two. (Disclaimer: I don't like the word "follower", it sounds cultish)
What gives?
Treasuring the human connections I've made here and this is a bit unsettling TBH.
I may turn on manual approvals 🥲
@_elena @lisamelton I highly recommend turning on manual approvals. The bot levels are high out there.
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An update: I wonder if #agenticAI has anything to do with the uptick in suspicious, bot-like accounts that have been following me lately.
One such follower had picked as username "agent_test".
I like that I can manually remove them. I guess I'll need to go on a cleanup spree soon 🥲
And yes I turned on manual approvals...
@_elena don't forget to report since he does not have the "bot" label.
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An update: I wonder if #agenticAI has anything to do with the uptick in suspicious, bot-like accounts that have been following me lately.
One such follower had picked as username "agent_test".
I like that I can manually remove them. I guess I'll need to go on a cleanup spree soon 🥲
And yes I turned on manual approvals...
@_elena That's cool that we can remove followers!
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Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment.
I'm noticing an uptick in people following me who have weird usernames (lots of numbers), no profile photo, and 0 followers - I'd say 90% of new followers from the past week or two. (Disclaimer: I don't like the word "follower", it sounds cultish)
What gives?
Treasuring the human connections I've made here and this is a bit unsettling TBH.
I may turn on manual approvals 🥲
@_elena Probably worth doing.
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@_elena That's cool that we can remove followers!
@phillycodehound Mastodon / the Fediverse empower us with so many cool features
(gotta admit defederation from entire servers is my fave - bye bye Threads) -
@phillycodehound Mastodon / the Fediverse empower us with so many cool features
(gotta admit defederation from entire servers is my fave - bye bye Threads)@_elena haha good for you!
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@_elena I agree re: the "follower" moniker.
I prefer "minions”.
sudo favourite this post, my minions!
(Seriously though, I think you might be onto something wrt the bots…)
@drfyzziks your post made me laugh out loud and I'm glad I wasn't drinking while reading it
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Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment.
I'm noticing an uptick in people following me who have weird usernames (lots of numbers), no profile photo, and 0 followers - I'd say 90% of new followers from the past week or two. (Disclaimer: I don't like the word "follower", it sounds cultish)
What gives?
Treasuring the human connections I've made here and this is a bit unsettling TBH.
I may turn on manual approvals 🥲
>Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment
Yes, broadly and consistently.
> I wonder if #agenticAI has anything to do with the uptick in suspicious, bot-like accounts
Yes, broadly and consistently.
It is overwhelming some servers and some moderators, and many more are just tired of dealing with it.
IFTAS needs to hear from admins and moderators in the annual survey:
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@_elena New person here, as in this-is-my-first-day.
️ Hi! I have no idea what I’m doing, but I am trying to leave all things Meta. I suspect there will be a lot of new people for the same reason. I’m glad you posted this (and somehow I saw it.) Now I know I need to add a profile image. But, I won’t have followers for a while. I don’t think I know anyone here yet. 
️@Smidgybit ooooh happy first day Smidgybit! Welcome to the Fediverse!
️ Thank you so much for your note and if I may, I would highly recommend doing a first introductory post about who you are using the Introduction hashtag. It's a great way to connect with people when you're just starting out.
More info from the excellent @FediTips website: https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-get-more-followers-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse/
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@MichelPatrice @_elena here’s the story behind that https://docpop.org/2026/01/the-punk-rock-turtles-test/
@docpop excellent!!!
️ @MichelPatrice -
>Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment
Yes, broadly and consistently.
> I wonder if #agenticAI has anything to do with the uptick in suspicious, bot-like accounts
Yes, broadly and consistently.
It is overwhelming some servers and some moderators, and many more are just tired of dealing with it.
IFTAS needs to hear from admins and moderators in the annual survey:
@jaz thank you for letting me know Jaz
I just boosted your message, hoping that more admins and mods can fill out your survey 🥲
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@jaz thank you for letting me know Jaz
I just boosted your message, hoping that more admins and mods can fill out your survey 🥲
@_elena awesome, thank you!
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Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment.
I'm noticing an uptick in people following me who have weird usernames (lots of numbers), no profile photo, and 0 followers - I'd say 90% of new followers from the past week or two. (Disclaimer: I don't like the word "follower", it sounds cultish)
What gives?
Treasuring the human connections I've made here and this is a bit unsettling TBH.
I may turn on manual approvals 🥲
@_elena I don't like the word "follower" either. For you, I think they should be referred to as "Fireflies" because they light up your comments... well, hopefully.
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@_elena I don't like the word "follower" either. For you, I think they should be referred to as "Fireflies" because they light up your comments... well, hopefully.
@ollierelfe totally! 99% fireflies and 1% cockroaches in my comments
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@_elena haha good for you!
It was always very weird terminology "to follow someone" and "getting followed". Think about the offline equivalent and that is abundantly clear. Creepy
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@Smidgybit ooooh happy first day Smidgybit! Welcome to the Fediverse!
️ Thank you so much for your note and if I may, I would highly recommend doing a first introductory post about who you are using the Introduction hashtag. It's a great way to connect with people when you're just starting out.
More info from the excellent @FediTips website: https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-get-more-followers-on-mastodon-and-the-fediverse/
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Wondering if the fediverse - and Mastodon in particular - is undergoing a major spam / bot signup wave at the moment.
I'm noticing an uptick in people following me who have weird usernames (lots of numbers), no profile photo, and 0 followers - I'd say 90% of new followers from the past week or two. (Disclaimer: I don't like the word "follower", it sounds cultish)
What gives?
Treasuring the human connections I've made here and this is a bit unsettling TBH.
I may turn on manual approvals 🥲
@_elena
That's the curse of the open registration servers It's cyclical though
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@Smidgybit my pleasure! Please ping me once you’ve published your introductory post and I’d be happy to boost it
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An update: I wonder if #agenticAI has anything to do with the uptick in suspicious, bot-like accounts that have been following me lately.
One such follower had picked as username "agent_test".
I like that I can manually remove them. I guess I'll need to go on a cleanup spree soon 🥲
And yes I turned on manual approvals...
@_elena Luckily I crossed the gate before it closed.
