Mutuals
what it means
More than a follower, less than a friend. Mutuals are people you interact with regularly online and would recognise instantly, but might never meet.
People who follow you and whom you follow back — a specific tier of online acquaintance.
the origin story
Emerged on Tumblr and Twitter in the 2010s as follower relationships became socially meaningful.
It named a genuinely new social category that platforms created — reciprocal, low-obligation, sometimes years-long relationships between people who know each other only through posts. "Mutuals only" became a standard way to limit who could see something.
in the wild
How do you know her?
She's a mutual. We've never met.
Mutuals only, but I have news.
Tell us.
how to use it
- Describing reciprocal online relationships
- Explaining how you know someone from the internet
- Social media contexts
- Professionally
- Where the concept won't be understood
- As a claim of real-world friendship
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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