Barack Obama is political king of the fake Twitter followers, with more than 19.5 MILLION online fans who don't really exist

By DAVID MARTOSKO IN WASHINGTON

Fakest of the fake? Barack Obama's Twitter following includes 19.5 million people who don't exist, and the first lady has 1.9 million nonexistent fans of her own

Among influential U.S. political tweeters, President Barack Obama is the undisputed king of the fake followers. A MailOnline analysis ranks his sizable Twitter following as the most deceptive total among the 21 most influential accounts run by American politicians: More than 19.5 million of his 36.9 million Twitter followers are accounts that don't correspond to real people.

The four phoniest accounts in the sample, which included Democratic and Republican Party leaders in Washington, D.C., were those belonging to President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama and the White House communications shop.

Of the president's 36.9 million Twitter followers, an astonishing 53 per cent – or 19.5 million – are fake accounts, according to a search engine at the Internet research vendor StatusPeople.com. Just 20 per cent of Obama's Twitter buddies are real people who are active users.

Overall, the five most influential accounts linked to the Obama administration – the first lady has two
– account for 23.4 million fake followers.

Biden's nonexistent fans make up 46 per cent of his Twitter total, with 20 per cent being 'real' followers. The White House's followers are 37 per cent fake and 25 per cent active; the first lady's primary account is 36 per cent fake and 29 per cent active.

The Daily Caller reported on Tuesday that Michelle Obama's Twitter followers included nearly 2 million nonexistent people, a number that lines up with MailOnline's findings.

Fake Twitter followers seem to be chasing U.S. politicians on both sides of the aisle, but Barack Obama is the undisputed champ

A matched ticket: Vice President Biden's fake-follower ranking was 46 per cent, with just one-fifth of his supposed Twitter audience consisting of human beings who are actually listening

Michelle Obama's complaints about Americans' diet and exercise are falling on deaf ears, at least among the 71 per cent of her Twitter followers who aren't tuning in

The difference between fake followers and 'real' ones is comprised of 'inactive' accounts, which may relate to real people but no longer send tweets with any regularity.

Did he? One report determined that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's social media staff purchased a raft of Twitter followers to boost his online credibility

There are several reasons why so many followers of a given Twitter account might be considered 'fake.' In some cases, direct marketers and other spammers follow influential accounts en masse, hoping to be followed in return.

Twitter's own CEO, Dick Costolo, has a personal feed followed by 1.1 million people, but 31 per cent of them are fake.

There is also the possibility that prominent politicians are buying blocks of Twitter followers. Such an accusation was leveled at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012.

The digital security company Baccardua Labs told The Guardian that Romney's surge of new followers at the time 'are not from a general Twitter population but most likely from a paid Twitter follower service.'

'Romney's newest followers could have been paid for by himself, his associates or by his opponents. So far, there is not a feasible way to confirm who is responsible,' said the report's author, Jason Ding.

No such report about Obama's social media accounts was published.

Up, up, up! Vice President Joe Biden is second only to his boss in the fake follower department

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has made a name for himself among conservatives with nearly 1.5 million Twitter followers, but more than 400,000 of those don't appear to be real

When the White House tweets ... only one-quarter of its followers are receiving the message. About 37 per cent of them aren't real, and another 38 per cent aren't active on Twitter

One British company called Buy More Followers advertises online that it offers 'a wide range of packages,' providing as many as 100,000 artificial but 'real looking' Twitter followers for a relatively modest £189.99. The company also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The most genuine follower totals in MailOnline's sample were those of the four congressional 'whips' – the second-in-command members in each party who enforce discipline and count heads before votes are called.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, boasts a Twitter account with only 11 per cent 'fake' followers, a number matched by Minority Whip John Cornyn, a Texas Republican.

'Twitter is a great medium for Sen. Cornyn to stay in direct contact with Texans,' press secretary Megan Mitchell said.

GOP House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California was second-best among Republicans, with 12 per cent of his followers having pulses, names, and active Twitter accounts. Democratic House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland came next with 13 per cent.

Near the other end of the scale, however, four of the most prominent House and Senate leaders – from both major parties – gave the Obama administration a run for its money.

Playing it straight: GOP Sen. John Cornyn (L) and Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (R) had the best records, with just 11 per cent of their Twitter followers regarded as phony

Grass roots? About 29 per cent of Sen. Marco Rubio's 431,000 Twitter followers don't appear to be living, breathing people

House Speaker John Boehner had the worst record among members of Congress whose Twitter accounts MailOnline sampled. One-third – 33 per cent – of his speaker account's followers are fake, which is a greater proportion than the 30 per cent who exist and are active tweeters. Boehner has a second account with a 24 per cent 'fake' rating.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid followed with 29, 29 and 28 percent fake followers, respectively.

The White House offered no reply to messages seeking comment.

Picture an image of a robot. You may be thinking of an industrial-sized arm assembling large metal pieces into a new car. You might even be visualizing a being with the likeness of California’s 38th governor, or perhaps a faithful, unintelligible companion who always seems to be saving his human friends from the evil Galactic Empire.

In reality, robots are truly our heroes! Robots have placed themselves in environments and situations seen as impossible or too dangerous for humans. They’ve enabled some to have what they would consider superhuman powers. While some may argue that robots are beginning to take away people’s jobs, in the area of healthcare, robotic technology is greatly enhancing life for both patient and doctor.

So why should we entrust our health to robotic technology?

For one thing, the science of robotics is allowing doctors to work more productively. Surgical robots, for example, can perform many difficult and complicated procedures that require extremely precise skill on the surgeon’s part. Unlike the surgeon, however, robots aren’t affected by factors like too little sleep or too much caffeine that can lead to shaky hands. Doctors are also using telemedicine robots to work remotely with patients, allowing them to extend their range of care to a greater number of people. As a result, patients benefit from lower costs and a greater quality of care.

Robots are also allowing people to live better, more independent lives. Later in this series, you’ll learn the remarkable story of a quadriplegic woman who was able to control a robotic arm to feed herself with just her thoughts. Robotic arms themselves are also becoming smarter; a few universities are developing prosthetic arms that can even restore a user’s sense of touch. Robots could someday allow more freedom for the elderly by assisting and encouraging them to take their medicine, do their rehab exercises, or perform tasks around the home.

Finally, robotics helps us learn more about our bodies and the diseases that plague them. One group of scientists in Europe is developing an anthropomimetic robot that moves like a human to help scientists explore the intricate details of what makes us mobile. Other companies are using robots to create better treatments and therapies for diseases, such as cancer and autism. Yet another team of researchers in England has developed a robot to study how the highly contagious norovirus spreads through emesis, appropriately named “Vomiting Larry.”

As the need for increased healthcare continues to grow, robotic technology will only become more important. As you’ll see in upcoming articles, the future is looking pretty bright for these tireless, electronic helpers.

Ever since he had an atresia surgically repaired at age five, Scott has been fascinated with the field of medical science. Combining his love of consumer electronics and technology with medicine, he studied biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California and graduated in 2009. By day, Scott is a Technical Services Engineer at St. Jude Medical, but moonlights as a senior editor at Medgadget, a leading medical technology and innovation blog. Scott is always searching for the next big thing in medical technology and digital health and looks forward to sharing these life-transforming innovations with iQ by Intel's audience. http://iq.intel.com/iq/40583733/an-introduction-to-robotics-in-healthcare