'It is what it is' has become this year’s Love Island soundbite. But when it comes to the contestants’ social media following, perhaps all is not what it seems, according to new research.

An investigation by Instagram influencer marketing service, Takumi, has exposed significant numbers of fake followers on the contestants’ profiles.

Using AI powered analytics and machine learning, Takumi reviewed the Instagram accounts of the contestants in this year’s series and assessed the activity, engagement and profiles of their followers.

The results revealed that Jordan and Amber has the highest percentage of fake followers upon entering the villa, with 65% fraudulent followers, closely followed by Joe and Yewande in second (64%) and Michael in third (63% fake). Maura was found to have the lowest ratio, although almost half of her followers are fraudulent accounts (45%). The full results are below.

Retrospectively analysing the contestants' data, suspicious activity, such as buying followers, was flagged on six of the accounts weeks before the contestants were publicly announced.

Commenting on the results, Adam Williams, CEO of Takumi, said: “The results of our research show the extent to which fraudulent activity can take place on Instagram. Yet influencers are still powerful marketing tools due to their ability to resonate deeply with their core audiences. Brands must carefully consider who they work with and how they assess their worth. The scale of someone’s social media following doesn’t necessarily equate to real influence among consumers.”

The contestants ranked by the percentage of fake followers*:

1. Amber Rose Gill (@amberrosegill): 535k followers - 65% fake followers
2. Jordan Hames (@jxrdanhames) – 34k followers - 65% fake followers
3. Joe Garratt (@josephgarratt): 412k followers 64% fake
4. Yewande Biala (@yewande_biala): 365k followers - 64% fake
5. Michael Griffiths (@mac_griffiths_): 478k followers 63% fake
6. Callum McLeod (@callum_macleod): 243k followers 62% fake
7. Tommy Fury (@tommytntfury): 971k followers - 60% fake
8. Danny Williams (@itsdannywilliams): 101k followers - 59% fake
9. Amy Hart (@amyhartxo): 447k followers - 59% fake
10. Elma Pazar (@elmapazar): 68k followers - 58% fake
11. Lucie Rose Donlan (@lucierosedonlan): 857k followers - 56% fake
12. Anna Vakili (@annavakili_): 495k followers - 53% fake
13. Molly Mae Hague (@mollymaehague): 701k followers - 53% fake
14. Anton Danyluk (@anton_danyluk): 342k followers - 52% fake
15. Curtis Pritchard (@curtispritchard12): 588k followers - 52% fake
16. Tom Walker (@tom9walker): 29.9k followers - 50% fake
17. Maura Higgins (@maurahiggins): 322k followers - 45% fake

*Data was obtained on 8^th June 2019, and 16^th June 2019 using HypeAuditor and an accurate reflection of contestants’ following prior to them being publicly announced.

Image: ITV