I don't like the term "followers"
"readers" isn't great either.
"mutuals" doesn't always apply bc I don't follow all who follow me even if they're cool and I check their stream often, because I'm super picky about what's in my timeline.
one great thing about fedi: most platforms (masto, pleroma etc) allow concealing follower counts & lists. I think this has a substantial payback in better user behavior. in part because once I hide it, *I* care about it way less. it's a good option to have.
honestly I think it'd be cool to have follower counts & lists default-hidden, with the option to display them if the sysop allows.
imagine the cultural change over time from just that small alteration of functionality.
@deutrino apps like #bitlbee kind of have that effect. If type the command "timeline @deutrino", I only see your posts & generally decide whether to follow based on that. I agree with you sentiment- why not give admins control over default behavior like that? OTOH, some find it useful to pick through other ppls follow lists to see who is that person following that I might follow?
@resist1984 yeah, I definitely pick thru follow lists. default-hiding those is a lot more debatable than default hiding the counts.
I personally feel I'm quite resistant to the hunger for fame some people have, but it used to vex me to no end that I had so few followers on a tumblr where I brought my curation A-game. and then sometime in the past few years since I got on here, I stopped giving a fuck, and now I just curate a little blog for a tiny audience who seem to love it, and it's great.
@deutrino It's also interesting to be in the pure text (due to Bitlbee), and then to occasionally login to the GUI and see ppls avatar, and discover that a voice is more sophisticated than the impression their avatar gives.