@dmcgk @natbas
This is super interesting, thank you for tagging me. After my migration last week I had 1,000 followers listed (down from before migration). By my approximation only about 20-25 of those could actually see my posts. It took me a while to figure this out.
All followers were (as expected) listed as following me. But essentially everyone had what natbas is describing, a pending follow request. I also don’t have, and never have had, approval of follows activated.
So when follow requests fail, they get queued, and it tends to look like this. People who follow you think you’re not approving their request and you yourself think they’re following you, because that is what their profile says. Very frustrating.
How long it will take for servers to try and renegotiate will vary but I have heard mention to me that Mastodon servers will stop trying after a week and then be stuck in this state.