Dev.to's feature promoting new authors to new users has led to a surge in ghost followers, leaving many developers wondering if their online presence is real. The platform's intention was to help newcomers find fresh content, but the outcome has been a digital flash mob of sorts. With hundreds of fake followers, it can be challenging for writers to have meaningful conversations.

Source: https://dev.to/jasuperior/the-curious-case-of-devtos-ghost-followers-when-your-popularity-is-basically-a-digital-flash-mob-2ajf