(Un)Follow Me, (Un)Follow You

One of the reasons I enjoy penning short stories across a diverse spectrum of topics is because I get to write about a wide array of characters in myriad story situations. No matter what you write — poetry or prose, novels, short stories, screenplays, song lyrics — in order to be successful, you need to be a lifelong student of human behavior. Even if you only write about cyborgs, your creations usually mimic core aspects of how people act or at least within the framework of your story world’s ethos.

Social media sites provide so many tangibles that are well-known — you get to interact with so many individuals across the entire world and get to hear opinions and ideas that aren’t those you normally subscribe to or even thought about. But the mere ebb and flow of contacts on sites such as Twitter are also petri dishes for understanding a lot about human nature.

I’ve been an active member of Twitter since April 2008 or this as provided by http://www.howlonghavei.com/:



In those years, I’ve been able to classify the 7 types of followers I’ve had.

Analysis of Twitter Followers

1. Spammers, from the “how to increase followers” type to the ubiquitous purveyors of porn as well as trolls with politics opposite of mine. These I automatically block and in the case of the porn people, report.
2. Social media “experts,” SEO / marketing geniuses, and the like. These I rarely, if ever, follow back. What makes these folks so top in their fields isn’t what they do, but what they try to get you to believe that they do.
3. Entrepreneurs of all types. Unless it’s a product or service that interests me (which is rare), I typically don’t follow back.
4. Artists/musicians/filmmakers/writers, aspiring or established. These folks I usually follow back, especially if I find their last dozen or more tweets interesting / compelling.
5. Like-minded individuals. I have myriad interests that I list in my Twitter profile — beyond writing — so anyone searching for those who are into the same things that I am will more often than not find me. I almost always follow them back.
6. Friends / colleagues / collaborators. It goes without saying that I always follow them back.
7. No idea why they’re following. Much like everyone else who has been Twitter a long time, I have my share of I-have-no-idea-why-they’re-following-me followers. Mayors of towns I never heard of, car dealers all the way on the other side of the country, and others. I often tweet them and ask if they’ve made a mistake, but usually don’t follow them back.

Analysis of Twitter UNFollowers

But the big reveal in human nature isn’t who follows you, but who, when and why they UNFOLLOW you. I recently joined Unfollowers.com, a site that really does give you insight into that aspect of Twitter dynamics missing in the past. For years, as I watched my follower count ebb and flow, I wondered what was going on behind the scenes. Unfollowers.com helps me do that. Here’s what I learned.

• More than half of followers unfollow within a week if not followed back. This usually is the case with those from Category 2 and tells me that for the most part, they are just trying to crank up their follower count and nothing more. It’s all a numbers game for them and as soon as they see you’re not jumping onboard, they unfollow and move on. Similar for those in Category 3 … if you’re not interested in what they have to offer, it’s adios.
• About 10-20% unfollow within a month of following them back. Usually these are from Category 4. This can be attributed to a few things, including just wanting to build their follower count quickly, but mostly want to maintain a favorable following/follower count — they unfollow in hopes I wouldn’t notice. Now I do.
• Approximately 5% or less of Category 5 followers unfollow. When they do, I always wonder:
  • Did I tweet something to offend them?
    • Certainly possible, I am pretty opinionated politically. Whether my comments on national and world affairs is a benefit or detriment for my social media reputation is a discussion for another post.
  • Did I not tweet enough regarding their preferred topic?
    • Certainly possible. I have a myriad of interests & may not focus on their preference during the window they’re following me.
  • Did I not interact with them enough (or at all)?
    • Certainly possible. I have a good number of followers & while I try to interact with many of them, it’s not possible to do so with all of them.
  • Did I not retweet them enough?
    • Certainly possible, for the same reason as noted above. I do like to pimp my followers’ announcements and never expect reciprocation, but there are only so many hours in a day to do that and I can’t do that for everyone.
• Less than 1% of Category 6 followers unfollow. When they do, I have to say, I’m always surprised, but I am only able to offer a weak guess as to why — though I never, ever ask. Everyone has their reasons and don’t deserve to be challenged and besides, it’s probably best NOT to know.
• Those in category 7, the odd ducks. They unfollow eventually … usually. I have to admit, they amuse me no matter what they do.

What Does It All MEAN?

In the end, there are a few conclusions I can offer:

• As a writer, you can’t ignore social media as a tool for building your audience, but more importantly, to connect with real life people, many of whom are walking the same path you are. We are often an introverted lot, so interaction with our fellow humans, even virtually, is better than shutting ourselves in a 10’x10’ room with a typewriter and a bag of Doritos. The folks I’ve met and have gotten to know quite well on Twitter, Facebook and the rest are just like you are and damned fine people to boot.
• Just as in the “real” world, there are so many on social media gaming the system, looking for a way to get ahead by any and all means. You can learn much from their behavior and if you’re smart, you’ll use that intelligence when you’re developing your characters. I know I have.
• If you’re lucky, you may learn much about yourself and how you respond when someone unfollows you. If you’re curious, I almost always reciprocate. :-)