Follower and like counts no longer truthfully indicate real engagement

Evidence

Finally, given that the Influencer industry is increasingly saturated and that the shadow economy and black market to boost one’s portfolio and impact artificially are becoming more widely available, the value of mere quantitative metrics through subscribers, follower counts, likes, and comments are no longer truthful or sufficient indicators of engagement or impact. Instead, the Influencer industry seems to be regressing from its obsession over quantitative metrics to return to the early days of qualitative impact. — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 281

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to the reader’s broader social capital and influencer-culture scholarship; echoes how reputation systems break down when gaming becomes cheap, as in the diamond trade extralegal-contracting material. — connects to: Follower counts conflate popularity with influence, visibility, and personal status — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 213; Influencers manually screenshot ephemeral metrics to prove engagement — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 283; Social media metrics reduce complex relationships to visible status rankings

Broader Connections

• Influencers manually screenshot ephemeral metrics to prove engagement #exemplifies (0.85) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 283
• Social media metrics reduce complex relationships to visible status rankings #expands (0.80)