Information saturation and overload are common user problems with social media. Most social media services are designed to maximize the time that you spend with them, whereas a user’s best interests probably lie in spending time only where there’s a high efficiency and quality of content but few distractions. Where does Academia.edu fall? I suspect most users are using at as free CV service and an inexpensive (i.e., free) alternative to having their own professional website, but the site’s “follow” function is little different from Twitter and Facebook in Academia.edu’s attempt to become a social network for academics.
Here I am on Academia.edu: http://bu.academia.edu/BasilConsidine.