Imagine you’re at a concert. You’re awestruck by the band and all you can think is, “How can I get more of these guys?” After their set, you hurry over to the band merch booth ready to hand over your hard-earned cash. Then, seeing nothing but oversized tees, CDs, and maybe a sticker or two, your heart sinks. Sure, it’s better than nothing (and you may even buy an oversized T-shirt that you’ll never wear), but it’s not what you hoped for, and you’ll leave the show feeling a bit let down. This is a scenario I’ve found myself in more times than I care to count.

When social media first began taking over the world over a decade ago (!), a lot of people initially focused on nothing but the numbers. Who had the most social media fans, which photos were getting the most likes, and pretty quickly, thousands turned to tens of thousands, which became hundreds of thousands, which in turn was replaced by millions. Now, the biggest stars on the planet can collect followings in the tens or even hundreds of millions depending on the platform…but that’s not necessarily how the world counts a success on social media any longer.