Blogger finds follower counts inflated by automated follow-farming, not genuine readership

A DEV Community writer analyzed nine years of their platform data and found a significant disconnect between follower growth and actual page views. They discovered that a large portion of their new followers were likely from reciprocal follow-farming, not from readers engaging with their content. For instance, over a recent 15-day period, they gained nearly twice as many new followers as they did new views. The author argues that while view counts are a concrete metric, follower counts can be a misleading vanity metric. They conclude that true success in writing depends on meaningful reader engagement, not just inflated follower numbers.