41% of Canadian Politician's Loyal Followers may Actually be Bots

With the Canadian election in full swing, we’re seeing more and more political analysis of Twitter in the great white north. And while some (mainly the leaders themselves, as they go full throttle into campaign mode) claim that large Twitter followings mean more support for a party or leader, new research from Dalhousie University says this isn’t necessarily so.

Twitter follower numbers don’t predict voter support, says researchers. And they might even be falsely inflated because of a “bot” epidemic on Twitter.