I’ve been spending more time on TikTok and paying attention to how creators are perceived by audiences and brands. I’ve noticed that some creators have very high follower counts but inconsistent engagement, and people in the comments sometimes question their credibility. This made me wonder how fake followers affect a creator’s reputation.
I’m especially interested in reputation rather than algorithm penalties. On TikTok, creators rely heavily on trust—whether it’s audience trust, brand trust, or community perception. So how exactly do fake followers damage a TikTok creator’s reputation? Is it mainly about engagement mismatch, brand audits, or how other creators and viewers judge authenticity?
I’d like a realistic explanation of how fake followers impact how a creator is seen over time, even if their content occasionally performs well.