I would actually like to understand this a little better, because, the way I see it, this is unfollowing.

You did not hit the button labeled “unfollow”, and so you did not unfollow the person – but, on Twitter, what you post is the entirety of who you are and what you bring to the table. When you mute someone, you stop following what that person is saying, which seems to me like it’s entirely analogous to unfollow them proper.

I mean, it’s not you’re going to keep DM’ing someone you muted, right?

I can’t see this permanent muting of people on Twitter as anything other than unfollowing for cowards. You’re unfollowing the people, you’re just not being honest about it.

Or is there something I’m not understanding here?