this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2023
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Billie Eilish has lost a whopping 100,000 Instagram followers since coming out last month and sharing she was attracted to women.

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[–] luciole@beehaw.org 135 points 9 months ago

She has 110 millions insta followers. 100,000 represent a 0.1% loss. I wish only 0.1% of the population were homophobic.

[–] midnight@kbin.social 92 points 9 months ago (2 children)

How is it news that she lost less than 0.1% of her followers?

[–] TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone 42 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I kinda thought something similar, but in a way I think there's some value in observing homophobia in a community.

[–] Domiku@beehaw.org 40 points 9 months ago

Yes, but it's just not statistically significant. Unless we see longer-term trends of her follow count, this could easily be a random fluctuation, bot crackdown, etc.

[–] BigMcLargeHuge@mstdn.social 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

@TheAlbatross @midnight

I don't expect a lot of Ellish fans to be homophobic. Entirely not the vibe of her and her music.

I tend to agree with a bot crackdown being the culprit for a lot of them.

[–] Bitrot@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 9 months ago

It would be neat if there were context, like if other artists had any similar drops. That popular accounts get a ton of bots isn't that interesting.

[–] emmeram@lemm.ee 32 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I’m encouraged that the percentage was that low.

[–] Crankpork@beehaw.org 18 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The percentage was low, but 100k people is still a lot of people.

[–] Curiousfur@yiffit.net 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Probably a lot of them were bots

[–] morhp@lemmy.wtf 13 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Why would a bot unfollow because someone is coming out as lesbian?

[–] Mars@beehaw.org 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Correlation != causation.

That because is doing some heavy lifting

[–] morhp@lemmy.wtf 3 points 9 months ago (2 children)

The post itself implies causation. Also why would a bot unfollow at all?

[–] Mars@beehaw.org 14 points 9 months ago

Bots are routinely rounded up and banned. A lost follower is not necessarily an unfollow.

The article is reaching for a narrative. The lady they talk about has done other things in this period of time. Other stuff has happened. The change in followers is minuscule in relation to the magnitude, so it could be noise.

It could be homophobia obviously. It could be some controversy about unfortunate body image declarations. It could be noise. It could be the war on Middle East and a round of banned bots. It could be too much time since the last record. She could be losing the spotlight. The social network could be purging deleted accounts.

The reason “homophobia” is a guess. The reason “bots” is another. None invalidates the other because in both cases you have to make assumptions about the motives of 100.000 entities.

Also could be 5.100.000 followers lost and 5mil gained. The article talks about the delta, but there is not a reliable analysis about the composition of the following and its change over the last months, except one simple number.

[–] derbis@beehaw.org 5 points 9 months ago

It sure does. Is that a founded assumption? Or click bait?

[–] loobkoob@kbin.social 14 points 9 months ago

So am I!

However, I can't say I listen to or follow Billie Eilish - I only found out about her coming out from reading this, in fact - but even as someone who's just mildly aware of her, I will say I've never assumed her to be straight. My gaydar's probably better tuned than the average person's but even so, I feel like her being some flavour of queer was fairly obvious and I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's influenced / shaped the kind of audience she has.

Unfortunately, I suspect an artist who's less obviously queer would lose a larger following for coming out. But yes, Billie Eilish only losing 100K followers is really encouraging still!

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 76 points 9 months ago (2 children)

How was it not obvious to everyone already? She oozed lesbianism from the start.

[–] klubsanwich@beehaw.org 90 points 9 months ago

A lot of homophobes don't realize how much they love gay culture

[–] Microw@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago

She has explicit lyrics referring to men across her albums so far. I just assumed that she was a heterosexual tomboy.

[–] marco@beehaw.org 50 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I really don't understand... Was their thought process someone like this?

"We were gonna hook up any day now, but since she came out that won't happen anymore, so I'll unfollow her!"

[–] NattyNatty2x4@beehaw.org 41 points 9 months ago (1 children)

More likely it's homophobes

[–] davehtaylor@beehaw.org 16 points 9 months ago

Probably a lot of both

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 13 points 9 months ago

Hopefully something less insane, like:

"I liked fantasizing/having wet dreams about her while listening to the music, but since she came out that won't happen anymore"

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 34 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This doesn't really feel like news. 100k not showing up to a concert? That's news. But these could be bots or Facebook just adjusting stuff behind the scenes.

[–] agegamon@beehaw.org 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah, exactly. In terms of online followers it's just not that big a change. Even in this article they say she has just over 100 mil followers right now.

I'm sure that a few bots and angry basement goblins unfollowed her, but it's much more likely a little whoopdedoo in the datastream.

[–] princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 9 months ago

Holy shit, this article is based on just a 0.1% change? That’s not a statistically significant change over the course of a month.

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Ngl she is so real for these words.

I never felt like I could relate to girls very well,”

“I love them so much. I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real.”

Eilish continued: “I have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. 

I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.

One more win for gay bottoms. I needed this today.

[–] NOOBMASTER@lemmy.ml 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] DarkGamer@kbin.social 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Is she going to switch from sad girl music to happy pop music now?

[–] FaeDrifter@midwest.social 11 points 9 months ago

No way lesbians are the saddest bitches there are.

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 9 months ago

No, she was born that way and her music isnt just gonna change over announcing it to people who didn't realize. Besides, I'm the pastel lesbian. And she's the bad guy 😳

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 13 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Oh no the 40+s who waited so patiently for her to turn 18 before making disgusting comments are upset!

[–] JimmyBigSausage@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] t3rmit3@beehaw.org 2 points 9 months ago

Name doesn't not check out, but is definitely playing against expectations. ;P

[–] MaryTzu@aussie.zone 2 points 9 months ago

So she is bisexual?