Follower Feedback Misleads Creators

Engagement metrics (likes, retweets) reliably indicate popular sentiment in broad, low‑controversy audiences, but they systematically mislead certain creators: those embedded in small, overlapping communities where offline talk, targeted reposts, or selective amplification produce reputational outcomes not reflected by raw engagement counts. Designers and commentators should distinguish 'engagement' from 'local reputational consensus' when advising creators or setting moderation policy. — If platforms and commentators conflate engagement with approval across contexts, they will misread who is being rewarded or punished online and misdesign incentives, moderation, and reputational remedies.