Followers

In social media, followers refer to users or accounts that subscribe to another user's or organization's posts and content on a platform; becoming a follower signifies an interest in remaining connected to what's being shared, whether it be text posts, photos, videos, or stories. This form of engagement tends to tilt toward the passive; followers are like audience members who show up to see the spectacle of a user's shared life unfold but don't step on stage themselves—at least not very much. Followers can also be used as a metric for influence, kind of like how many people show up to your concert: more followers, more influence.

'Fresh followers' (new ones who probably don't know much about you yet) and 'seasoned followers' (long-term fans who know your work better than you do), 'actual followers' (the ones who paid attention because they were/are genuinely interested in what you're doing) and 'potential followers' (anyone who could pay attention and become an actual follower at any moment)—all these varieties of followers add up. The platforms most people are familiar with (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn) all have their own economics of followers, using them to gauge how popular you are or how much you should matter to them.