b. Critical Consideration: A large number of followers does not necessarily indicate that a user is an expert. It does, however, indicate that they have a well-known online presence and that other users pay attention to what they post. The opposite is true for users with fewer followers. Equally, if a user has very few followers this may put into question the user’s legitimacy or may indicate that the user found the content elsewhere. They should not be automatically disqualified as trusted sources, but their legitimacy may be put into question. It should be noted that users can actually buy followers, or, they can be followed by ‘bots’, which are computer generated ‘users’ that look real but are not actual people. The amount of followers is not in and of itself a decisive factor. Once again, it is important to keep in mind that even when an account has a significant amount of followers, these could have been bought or they could be bots. Thus, these factors are only indicators as to a user’s authenticity and should be considered alongside other factors. 4. How much content has been posted on the specific topic you are researching? a. This is another indicator of how much knowledge the uploader has of the content being verified. The more the user has been uploading on the same issues, the higher the probability the uploader has more knowledge or connectivity to this subject. 5. What type of content is typically posted by this user? a. Considering what kind of content the user has been uploading can give you a better impression of their motives for uploading. This may give you an indication of the user’s political affiliation or their opinions, which can insist in informing an overall impression. For instance, if straightforwardly political statements are uploaded, this may indicate an associated bias. 6. Does their bio or ‘About’ section contain any useful information, relevant to the research? a. Taking note of this could give you another insight into the user, leading to a better impression of the user’s motives and perspective. For example, do they specify any affiliation with political, religious, social, or other organizations or associations? If so, this could indicate user bias, shaping the content of their posts. b. This can give you a better impression of the user whose account you are verifying; it can help corroborate identity and legitimacy. 12