Does the word "follow" mean to imitate? Is it ok to use "imitate" or "copy" instead of "follow"?

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Good guess! However, the "follow" here has a different meaning. If you use social media, you'll notice that any person whose activity you're subscribed to will show as "following." This expresses the definition of the "follow" used by Katy Perry here perfectly - if you pay attention to or trace the movements of someone (usually out of positive interest), you can be considered to be following them. Katy Perry here has used this to describe her fans, the people that follow her activity because they like her. Ex: BTS has one of the biggest fan followings in the world. Ex: Katy Perry has tons of fans that follow her and keep up with her news.