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# M37B: Should we optimize for smaller, highly engaged Close Friends circles or larger, moderately engaged circles?
- URL: https://adjacent.media/signals/m37b-should-we-optimize-for-smaller-highly-engaged-close-friends-circles-or-larger-moderately-engaged-circles/
- Published: 2026-03-28T22:18:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-07T13:30:51.000Z
- Description: Lewis // C. Lin’s Newsletter The counterintuitive insight here—that creators optimizing for engagement metrics are actually playing a frequency game, not a intimacy game—reveals a deeper tension in social platforms: the algorithm rewards *consistent presence* over *genuine connection*, which stru...
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #signal, theme-consumer, Community, consumer behavior

Source: [Lewis C. Lin’s Newsletter](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kmteqfe8cn89628vq9a9ma4r?ref=adjacent.media)

The counterintuitive insight here—that creators optimizing for engagement metrics are actually playing a frequency game, not a intimacy game—reveals a deeper tension in social platforms: the algorithm rewards \*consistent presence\* over \*genuine connection\*, which structurally punishes the small-circle strategy even when it delivers superior per-viewer depth. This explains why influencer culture increasingly feels like performance for strangers rather than communication with friends, despite the rhetoric of “authentic community.”