Reducing social followers isn't always a bad thing

Our cultural obsession with total follower numbers is ridiculous and unhealthy. These numbers, especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, are a shallow, first-impression way of sizing an account up. It’s the modern-day equivalent of asking ‘where do you work?’ or ‘where did you go to school?’ within the first two seconds of meeting someone.

The biggest issue with total followers is that they no longer carry the same cache as they did in years past, and that is because so many people game the system. They buy followers, they outsource engagement and publishing, get access to hashtags before they are released, and are working in tandem with social media partnerships teams. There are also are countless companies that promise growth hacks and ways to play the algorithms. Or, the most annoying, someone becomes a reality TV star and gains an enormous following overnight.

Read the full piece on Substack here.