I find tumblr follow culture really puzzling

Like… 

I just follow people I like. But I also can’t follow everyone, so there are a bunch of people I like indirectly ‘follow’ because people I follow reblog them frequently. 

I never expect reciprocal follows. I’d be concerned if a few people unfollowed (but only if it is because I was fucking up but usually a callout will precede this). 

But if people unfollow? I mean… I’ve unfollowed people because I needed a smaller dash (I’m easily overwhelmed), but I’ve then put them in my rss reader or I know other people will reblog them enough that I can do a secondary follow. I’ve unfollowed people because I don’t like their fandoms (which is a difference of taste and not a comment on their ‘quality’). 

I try not to pay much attention to my follower count (the number exacerbates my anxiety). I’m more willing to write/share if I can pretend that no one follows or cares. 

But I see a lot of people act as if this is a big deal… (and, no, this isn’t a comment directed to anyone I follow myself – I’ve not seen any of them ever talk like this). Some people act like they are *owed* another person’s attention. Or like it is a dire insult to have been unfollowed. 

If you are treating this like a popularity contest… I’m not sure I understand what you are doing here. (like being on tumblr for popularity is valid I just don’t get it). 

Like maybe if I were getting paid for this, I might start caring (then again, having quantifiable measurements on job performance tends to de-motivate me). 

and I think I’ve lost the point I was trying to make (if any)