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.
@cwebber Twitter is just a reflection of cultures that favour cut-throat competition over cooperation. If popularity is equated to profit and power, and maximum profit is accepted as the ultimate goal, at some point things snowball beyond human scale.
It could have never resulted in anything different under the framework Twitter was constructed, but especially so after they took the IPO money.
@cwebber Part of the reason I'm highly skeptical of the Buy Twitter initiative. Even with the best of intentions, Twitter can't be reformed.
It is what it is.