The Curious Case of Dev.to's Ghost Followers: When Your Popularity Is Basically a Digital Flash Mob

You've just posted your first few articles on Dev.to, feeling pretty good about sharing your programming wisdom with the world. Suddenly, ding - you've got followers! Ding ding ding - hundreds of them! You're practically the next Primeagen, right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

The Great Follower Mystery of 2024

Last week, I embarked on my Dev.to journey, armed with nothing but a keyboard and dreams of connecting with fellow developers. Within days, I had amassed over 600 followers. Amazing! Except...

• They all created their accounts like... yesterday. Which is faster than you can say "npm install"
• Their profiles are emptier than my git commit messages on a Friday work day.
• They engage with content less than a programmer engages with grass

It's like being the most popular person at a party where everyone is actually a cardboard cutout. Sure, the numbers look impressive, but try having a meaningful conversation with cardboard.

The "New User Experience" That Nobody Asked For

Dev.to apparently has this well-intentioned feature where they promote new authors to new users. In theory, this sounds great - help newcomers find fresh content! In practice, it's like setting up a blind date between two people who don't speak the same language and might not even be real people.

What We Actually Want:

1. Real Engagement: I'd rather have 6 followers who actually read and comment than 600 who materialized from the digital void
2. Quality Over Quantity: Show me to users who've actually filled out their profiles and participated in the community
3. Meaningful Metrics: Maybe track "engaged followers" instead of just "followers who clicked a button once and vanished into the ether"

Suggestions for a Better Dev.to

Dear Dev.to, I love what you're trying to do, but maybe we could:

1. Implement a Basic User Validation System

   • Has the user filled out their profile?
   • Have they read at least 3 articles?
   • Do they know what code is? (kidding, mostly)

2. Create a More Nuanced Recommendation System

   • Match users based on shared interests
   • Consider reading history and engagement patterns
   • Maybe don't show my JavaScript tutorials to people who exclusively read Ruby articles

3. Show More Meaningful Metrics

   • "Real Human Followers™": 3
   • "Potentially Real But We're Not Sure Followers": 12
   • "Digital Tumbleweeds": 585

The Silver Lining

At least I can tell my mom I'm "big on social media" now. Sure, my followers might all be digital mirages, but they're my digital mirages, dammit!

A Call to Action

To Dev.to: Let's work on making these connections more meaningful. Quality over quantity, always.

To my 600 ghost followers: If any of you are real and reading this, please leave a comment! Even a "👻" will do. I promise I don't bite (though I occasionally write buggy code).

To actual developers reading this: Let's start a real conversation. What's your experience been like? Have you also experienced the great ghost follower phenomenon of 2024? Drop a comment below, and let's connect - for real this time.

P.S. To my new ghost followers who will inevitably follow me after this article: Hi! 👋 Please consider becoming real people. The developer community could use more actual humans.