As I reenter the writing fray, I’ve been checking out Medium a lot lately, which if you’re not familiar with, is an app where a lot of writers can post their content for the world to see. It reads like the most refined blogging hub on the web, though it’s supposed to feel more sophisticated than that, I think. I don’t know — I’m still learning this whole bag. But after reading it religiously for two weeks, it appears that half of the articles come from writers telling other writers how to best make money as a writer on Medium. (Say that ten times, fast.) Makes you wonder if most of the people reading Medium are simply other writers that were coaxed into a literary Ponzi scheme.
Not Medium Angry, Big Angry
Besides the tips on making money as a writer, most of the other Medium articles are from authors venting their frustrations about the world. And let me tell you, boy are they MAD. Mad, mad, mad-mad, mad. Everybody is mad. Sometimes it feels like I’m pissing off writers just by reading their pieces. Ever go looking for the bathroom at a party, open the wrong door, and see something nobody invited you to see? After a while, Medium starts to feel like that. I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I clicked on your article by accident! Wrong room, wrong room! Escape, escape!
Don’t get me wrong. There is some great writing on this platform, but a lot of it is laced with snide witticism and rants about other people’s righteous indignation. People can really get indignant about other people’s indignation. I get and appreciate there is a lot to be angry about, but I was hoping to find a place with a broader array of voices. Maybe I just took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in an echo chamber I can’t get out of.
Come on Gang, What About the Good Stuff?
But where are all my happy little writers? The ones looking to change the system by lifting up our virtues, rather than reviling our faults? It’s good to point out fallacies and falsehoods with our existence, but every article? A rundown of some people’s profiles looks like the reading list of a lonely archvillain with a vendetta against the world. Do these people really see the world as so hopelessly bad? Or are they trying to get more clicks with sensationalized titles and vitriol?
I’ve become a little cynical lately when it comes to reading stuff online or watching TV. Many Medium writers will plainly tell you that in order to get paid for your writing, you need to make it “sticky,” and use emotional titles for your pieces so that they are irresistible not to click. WordPress, which I use to run my blog, shows you metrics on how well your title will show up in web searches by analyzing your use of “common”, “uncommon,” “emotional,” or “power” words. The better you score on these words, the more likely you are to drive readers to your piece. I don’t usually score very well because once I title something, I’m done. Plus, I don’t really know what these “power” or “emotional” words are that WordPress is talking about. Has anybody got a list?
Is This Just About Clicks?
But if WordPress is using scoring algorithms to tell you how well your piece will perform, I have to assume most Medium writers are adept at using these tactics to their advantage. Knowing this, I have to wonder if what I’m reading on Medium is really from anyone’s heart, or if they are just following a model that gets them popularity and wins clicks. Clicks lead to revenue and keep the echo chambers rolling, I get it. But what’s real? And if it is real, why does everyone have to be yelling at me like I brought the wrong thing to a potluck dinner? I could use a happier medium than Medium.
In fact, I’ve got to say, I find the blogs in my WordPress Reader to be much more authentic than what I’ve found so far on Medium. Or positive at least. I don’t know if I’m doing Medium wrong, but hopefully I can find a larger variety of voices on there soon. Perhaps they are out there and I just need to ramp up on my search criteria. On that front, today has been promising so far. After exclusively searching for humor and motivation articles the last couple of days, today’s recommended top five articles included a little humor, some positivity, and even a little poetry. There was only one article on building a writing income stream, and only one article on hating America. Maybe there’s hope for Medium after all.