Does Twitter Make You Paranoid?

[Kaleel Sakakeeny]

Someone in my home feed on Twitter only posted the number of followers he/she gained. And the number of followers he/she lost. Every day

"Today I lost 5 Followers and gained 3."
"Today I lost 1 Follower and gained 0."
And so it went.

The steady drumbeat of the daily report fascinated me: I wanted to know why these followers came on board or jumped ship.
I wanted to know why they followed and unfollowed this rather humorous, clever person.

Then of course I started seriously to wonder the same about my own account @newmediatravel.

Why did I lose 5 Followers this week and mysteriously gain 5 or 6 the next? Or none.

I wasn't doing anything differently one week from the next, and Twitter doesn't give  clues or an insights as to why someone followed or unfollowed.
And that's a big shortcoming.

I can guess at why I lost/gained:
• Lack of Tweeting
• Too long being unresponsive
• Saying something someone disagreed with
• Saying something someone agreed with
• Being funny
• Not being funny
• Taking a political or moral or intellectual point pot view that was offensive
• Or acceptable
• Or not taking a point of view

Whatever. The fact of so many possibilities, actually negates any possibility. 

So how can I learn what works and what doesn't?

Twitter (and so many other self-styled , imperialistic Social Media companies)  manipulate us by continuing to preach "best ways"  to increase Followers.

Here's their ad for example:

"Get more followers, increase website traffic & drive sales. Power your business with Twitter Ads. Start here."

Why? Obviously the more Followers one acquires, the better it is for Twitter.

Not much different than the old-world need for newspapers to attract subscribers, to attract advertisers.

But what does it really get me?

What's the actual, functional  difference between 500 followers and 5000, except 4,500?

And having 5000 Followers makes me feel good; gives me bragging rights. Plays to my ego.

Manipulation? You bet!

I have no feedback allowing me to self-correct, so I keep chasing my tail.

Even if the answer to big numbers is obvious (a celebrity, or the President), are the Followers just the result of someone's being famous?
If that person wasn't famous would the Followers disappear?

Could Twitter come up with an application of sorts that tells me why I was being unfollowed or followed?

And how would that change the exchanges, the dialogue?

It would certainly make me a wiser guy.  Maybe even more sensitive to people's needs and thus attract more Followers or reduce this who abandon me.

But I'll never know. Lose some, gain some. Twitter's new motto?