HN is social media, but it's not a social network. A network puts the emphasis on individual nodes (users) and the connections between them (following/friendship).
Correct. I love that the focus of HN is on discussing topics, not discussing individuals. Of course a topic could be an individual, like Elmo, but that's not the focus of the site itself. I don't follow any individuals on HN, I just respond to whomever I'm discussing a topic with and I don't care who that is.
