With the introduction of the User Authority (UA) a few days ago, other elements gained importance in determining users' authority (by comparison to, or as opposed to their reputation score).
Among them, the SP, the UA of their followers, the quality of their posts, and more factors will be added, like the quality of their comments.
That's way different from the way a user's reputation score is calculated, which makes UA an alternative solution, and that can only be for the better, as I explained before.
One side-effect (possibly intentional) of the introduction of the User Authority as it's defined now, is increasing the value of a "follow", especially if the follower has a respectable UA. That UA is transferred onto you, to some extent, because you are being followed by someone of influence.
That makes sense. If someone with a higher UA follows you, you might be worth it, and it's good if that reflects on your own UA.
Knowing this, I've even seen people saying they went through their list of follows, to unfollow those they don't think should still be there. User Authority has a good incentive in this direction, in a sense people will become more attentive to whom they want to pass along their UA by following them.
And given there are ways to be notified of someone posting without being his/her follower, I believe this practice will become wider if UA becomes a popular gauge for a user's real reputation.
On the upside, following can become a way to incentivize someone who's content you like (at the expense of more clutter on your feed). On the downside, following can become an option of trade.
I hope this won't lead to more "follow me for something" comments/memos.
While we are here, I wonder if UA algorithm makes a distinction between someone followed and someone followed, but muted. I haven't used the muting option from Steemit yet, but I know some are using it. Although it seems strange to keep following someone, after muting him/her.
The UA of your followers is only one criteria of the new User Authority system. And that's good. Plus, I see the system is improved as more information comes in from real situations reported after the UA was made public, or with new ideas. That's even better.
Looking forward to see how UA develops.