Social media usually let you subscribe to specific users/groups, whether via friend requests or something else. The result is a network of users who follow each

Social media usually let you subscribe to specific users/groups, whether via friend requests or something else. The result is a network of users who follow each other. HN on the other hand doesn't feel more "social" to me than any oldschool forum. The focus is on content and usernames only exist to tell them apart.