Unintended | Medium ‘Clean-up’ Sweeps Real People
A Collective Voice Breaks Through Bot-Catching Medium Sweep
Followers became her army, their digital screams shattering the silence and threatening to drown her.
UPDATE
I learned that my writing mentor and friend, Toni the Talker, was suspended from Medium last week. She is a prolific writer who posts almost daily. In her pieces, she quotes, references, and cites many sources. She may appear to be a social media bot for these reasons, but I know she is very human.
At 1:45 PM ET, her fans received the great news that her account was reinstated. Thank you, Medium Staff!
My article implores Medium to reinstate her:
Toni the Talker, a force of nature in Medium’s corridors of creativity, was known for her unwavering voice. “I want to know what EXACTLY I did wrong?” she’d declare, her words shaking with conviction.
That morning, Toni’s voice faltered. “We must—" she began, but silence followed. Shock rippled worldwide.
“What’s wrong, Toni?” one writer asked, concern etched on their words.
But Toni couldn’t respond. Her voice had vanished. The Medium entity rendered her speechless and bewildered, and her stories vanished.
Toni fingered the shimmering sapphire ring adorning her finger, the cool stone starkly contrasting the burning anger simmering beneath her skin. The ring used to bring her luck (Disappeared Story: Lucky Charms), but today… each delicate brush of her thumb against the smooth surface only intensified the tightness in her chest.
In the days that followed, Toni grappled with her newfound silence. Yet, from the depths of her frustration, a response was immediate. Hundreds, then thousands, of followers erupted in fury.
Comments raged, mirroring her storm. Hashtags with her name tore through the platform, a battle cry. Followers became her army, their digital screams shattering the silence.
Moments ago, Toni was isolated. Now, she is surrounded by a fighting brigade, their collective voices a weapon against the forces trying to bury her stories.
Our wish: #reinstateTonitheTalker
I was delighted to learn that, according to Buster Benson, Medium is “ramping up some new anti-spam and anti-fraud measures.” (Source)
In that same piece, Benson said, “(We) want to assure you that we have no intention of permanently suspending legit accounts. We are repairing accounts that appeal and help us understand how their accounts were incorrectly flagged.”
But it’s been many days, numerous cries for action, and no repair for at least one Black female author on the platform until recently.
I learned that my writing mentor and friend, Toni the Talker, was suspended from Medium last week. She is a prolific writer who posts almost daily. In her pieces, she quotes, references, and cites many sources. She may appear to be a social media bot for these reasons, but I know she is very human.
She has implored to her followers with a grave heart weighed by her wounded pride and smoldering anger, to appeal to Medium leadership on her behalf. Her notes to us carry a palpable aura of hurt and frustration.
Respectfully, Tony Stubblebine | Buster Benson — Our wish: #reinstateTonitheTalker