This is highly dependent on what particular professional niche you're in. Hollywood actors are now routinely cast (in part) based on how many social media foll

This is highly dependent on what particular professional niche you're in. Hollywood actors are now routinely cast (in part) based on how many social media followers they have, leading to a lot of weirdness around their agents and agencies buying followers, accusing other competing actors of buying followers, etc. A bit closer to the HN crowd, there is definitely a correlation between speaking at conferences and having an "audience" and being a well-known figure online. Similarly, the "build-in-public" indie folks are active on social trying to break the build it and they will come cycle. There are ways to participate and filter through the noise that are positive, but certainly a lot of negative as well.