a HackerNoon project
Original · left

Follow (go after)

To go or come after someone.

First in use: ancient / pre-modern
Duplicate · right

Follow (social media)

Subscribing to an account's posts on a social network.

First in use: c. 2007

Follow / Follow (go after) / Follow (social media)

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Canonical todayMeasuring…
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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Following a leader vs. following an account.

Which meaning of Follow is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Follow (go after) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Follow (social media) arrived in 2007. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Follow (go after)Follow (social media)
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · ancient / pre-modern

Follow (go after)

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Duplicate · c. 2007

Follow (social media)

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More duplicated terms

Internet & gaming culture