Is Medium Dying?
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where have all the good writers gone?
Yes, another writer writing a post about Medium and all of the changes, not really for the better.
There have been a few questions bouncing around my brain for the last few months and, although I also tire of the constant posts about how Medium is turning to garbage now, I needed to get the thoughts out. The spinning was driving me crazy.
So, what in the fresh hell is going on? Is Medium dying? Is it still worth the time, and effort, to post here? Is it worth it to get a Medium membership?
There have been so many posts from great writers that have lamented about Medium and the changing algorithms and how it has affected their payment. I noticed this, immediately, years ago when they changed the payment system from views to claps. What once looked like a very promising side gig that could turn full-time started sputtering out. I’ve come and gone from Medium, putting in real effort, and now I come here to get a few thoughts out and leave. There’s no use for me in putting in any more time than that.
Anyways, I slightly digress.
While the posts complaining about the new platform changes always pop up, there have been more and more about changing to different platforms like Substack (I’ve tried it and though lots of writers love it, it’s not my cup of tea, so to speak). As writers start to leave, what are we left with? The posts telling you how you can make a million dollars on Medium just by writing about how you can make a million dollars on Medium? Because, obviously, that is something someone is always going to click on.
I’ve blocked out posts like the above. I’ve changed what I like to see on my feed. I’ve followed a few new cool looking writers, and yet…I’m still shown the same old bullshit day in and day out. I feel like I’m shouting into an eerily empty hallway whenever I post. I try to dig for new stories that will be actually interesting to read, and yet…there isn’t much.
I know that these stories exist, that these writers exist. I’ll find them every few months and get excited to read what they have to say. Why is Medium making it so damn hard to find the good stuff, and so damn easy to find the complete trash?
