Superb writing as usual, Jessica! On the button, feisty and eloquent - a pleasure to read! Admire the thought process behind the article and also the research you've put in. Congrats on your perseverence and huge output!

My tuppence on stats and chasing followers, is summed up in this quote: He uses stats like a drunkard uses a lamp-post: for support, not illumination.

I'd really appreciate if you could take some time to read my related article titled "What’s Measurable Isn’t Always Important, What’s Important Isn’t Always Measurable", based on the book "The Tyranny of Metrics".

Really think it puts some context to your awesome writing!

https://medium.com/technical-excellence/whats-measurable-isn-t-always-important-f7bec19f4168