The Ashton Kutcher Precedent

Something has been really bothering me about Twitter lately. It all started when the microblogging service decided to start promoting certain individuals as "interesting people to follow."

New to Twitter? Well, then you probably will find a bunch of random tech geeks you've never heard of super interesting (looking at you Kevin Rose). First time on the site? You're really going to love what MC Hammer has on his mind.

It was already over the top before it even got started - and then it went even beyond absurd.

Dude, Where's My Twitter?

Ashton Kutcher, the latest really fascinating tech entreprenuer, entered the scene on Twitter promoting his site blahgirls.com. To this day I've got no idea what his site is all about. N

evermind all of that, he skyrocketed to Internet superstardom when he absurdly challenged CNN's Larry King to a contest to see who could get 1,000,000 followers. One problem - the account Ashton was challenging for the competition was CNNBRK, which wasn't even owned by CNN.

I'd also mention Ashton Kutcher was annointed one of Twitter's "must follow" interesting people that every new sign up gets stuck with unless explicitly unselecting. I'd also mention that being on that list of distinction is basically a guaranteed 10k followers a day and thats what put Ashton in the position to get to 1,000,000 in the first place.

Where It All Falls Apart

I could go on and on about whats wrong with trying to amass 1,000,000 followers and how really, beyond 500 or so connections the quality of Twitter really begins to break down. No, that isn't what this post is about. Instead this post is about a relatively new and unpublicized policy about the number of people the average Twitter user can follow a day.

Forget about 1,000,000. If your name is something other than Ashton and Kutcher (or MC and Hammer) you can only follow 1,000 people a day without running afoul of Twitter's spam cops.

Personally, I have no beef about that because like I said, beyond 500 Twitter becomes virtually useless from the standpoint of following your followers. That said, in the mad rush to help one person have 1,000,000 followers and all the publicity that "achievement" amassed in mass media, Twtter became really concerned about spammers. Good for them, but what happens when Ashton starts to use his account more frequently for promoting his projects instead of just taking photos of his wife in a bikini ironing his shirt?

God forbid that Ashton decides to follow some of the people back who have followed him. Currently, he thinks 97 people on Twitter have something interesting to say.

Twitter has created a culture of racking up huge numbers of followers as a measure of popularity and success. They've done this by preferencing certain people and making them default follows when you sign up. Is it now hypocritical to tell folks that following 1,000 users a day in order to increase their network is wrong?

Sound off in our comments section!

About the Author: William Smith

William brings 10 years of interactive marketing experience to Off Madison Ave and serves as the agency’s Search Marketing Manager. In addition to his responsibilities managing pay-per-click and search optimization for clients, William is the agency’s resident twitterholic, and works with the social media department to develop innovative ways of using the medium for marketing.

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