Engagement stats always compares two things to give direction. It explains momentum!
A better way to explain it is that most stats are quantitative as opposed to qualitative. Quantitative stats answers the question “What have I done?” IE: basic stats, totals, post count, etc
But the question I want answered “How well have I done it?” Qualitative!
Engagement stats are not about what happened, but about understating how WELL what happened is working. Are people engaging with the content I’m posting? If so, Which posts that I’ve made are gaining traction and which are being ignored? Which attachments I’ve added are getting the most views? Etc.
Basic stats give totals but engagement stats tells a story and gives direction. Users will know what types of things to post more of and what types of things to stop posting.