The "follow lie" on social media platforms is a prevalent issue, where users often encounter a disconnect between the content they expect to see from those they follow and what they actually receive due to platform algorithms. This phenomenon, termed "enshittification," reflects a broader trend toward prioritizing algorithms based on user interests rather than social connections. Consequently, both content creators and consumers face challenges, as creators struggle to reach their followers, and consumers are served content based on algorithms rather than their chosen follows. In response, the author suggests relying on email newsletters as a more dependable alternative for receiving content from creators, circumventing the limitations posed by the "follow lie" on social media platforms.
Amy Sawyama
Posted on
The follow lie, and why it’s worse than ever
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Discussion (2)
The whole 'follow’ experience is absolute garbage. I'm tired of spending time curating my feed, only to have the algorithm shove unrelated crap in my face. It's like they don't even care about what I actually want to see anymore. And don't even get me started on how it screws over content creators who put in all that effort to build a following, only to get buried by the algorithm. Seriously, platforms need to start prioritizing user experience and creator support instead of just maximizing ad revenue. It's infuriating.
I follow people to support them, but have noticed that if I don’t constantly view or interact with their stuff, it comes up less and less. I understand that is a reaction to my behaviors, but I do feel that it’s a bit unforgiving. Sometimes I genuinely have people fall off of my feeds but I would like to see what’s going on with them, and I only remember them when I go to their actual page again from my following list.