Thesis: a web of trust based social network wouldn't have a reliable "global" follower / like / etc count -- it would only be the ones you've seen -- and this would be a feature.
Some of the most toxic behavior on Twitter comes from people trying to become "the most popular person in the room", which also leads to a lot of social messaging which isn't about being constructive, but differentiating yourself in a way that makes you look better than others.
By having a public follower count, *everyone* (yes, even you, yes even me) is gamed into comparing whether your follower count is higher than others, whether others got more likes / shares / etc than you.
This isn't a good basis for thoughtful communication.
@cwebber I think I agree. I can't say i know my follow count either way here except that the network is much smaller than elsewhere, but if follow count display was an option I'd disable it (leaving the ability to browse my network; if someone wants to count, whatever, and it might help others discover each other!)
Thanks for interesting thoughts
