There is no contradiction because engagement goes up with follower count.
There is no algo here, and most people don't boost, so if someone isn't following you, they literally cannot see anything you write.
Discussion
Uh, try scrolling global feed sometime!
Hell no.
Echo chambers are cool and all but, you can literally find someone you’re not following in global, and even better than that, can search a hashtag in global to find… wait for it… someone posting about something that peaks your interest!
The last time I was in there, it was full of cartoon kiddie porn and Nigbot. I'll pass.