I think there is a vast difference betwen following and reading. If one is reading, it is not helpful to follow more than 150 people. It is absolutely impossible to read the work of those one loves if one is following 1500 or 2000 or 5000 people. This is why it's not about following people.

I often comment without following. Just because I comment doesn't mean that I want to continue to read that person's work. However, here's where it gets interesting. Sometimes I will read other comments, and I will see someone whose way of reasoning fascinates me. I will then click on that person, and I will read some of their essays. If I like what I read, I will comment on them.

One can have thousands or tens of thousands of followers. I saw someone the other day who had followed 27,000 people. In turn, she had 7000 followers. In terms of reads, her pieces very seldom had more than 5 claps.

The quality of writing has everything to do with whether one is read or not. This seems to be seldom mentioned. So does the quality of comments. In fact, I would say that the quality and frequency of comments has far more to do with whether one is frequently read or not.