avatarCarolF

Summary

The article discusses the prevalence of dishonest writers on Medium who fabricate personal stories for attention and financial gain, and provides tips on how to identify them.

Abstract

The Medium platform is recognized for fostering a sense of community and connection among writers and readers. However, this environment also attracts deceitful individuals who create false personas and narratives to exploit the empathy and support of the audience for personal profit. These writers often write about sensitive topics such as addiction or illness to garner sympathy and readership. The article advises readers to trust their instincts, scrutinize inconsistencies in writers' stories, and be wary of overly tragic life narratives or direct requests for money. It emphasizes that genuine writers provide depth and personal experience in their work, which is difficult to replicate with fabricated stories. The article concludes by suggesting that readers avoid engaging with content from dubious authors and instead focus on authentic stories from trustworthy writers.

Opinions

  • The author believes that while Medium is a positive platform for community building, it is susceptible to bad actors who exploit the trust and empathy of its users.
  • The article suggests that readers should be cautious and critical of writers who may not be who they claim to be, especially when they exhibit inconsistencies in their narratives or lack depth in their writing.
  • It is the author's view that a reliance on personal experience and the ability to engage authentically with readers are key indicators of a writer's credibility.
  • The author expresses skepticism towards writers who constantly portray a life filled with misfortune, implying that such narratives are often exaggerated or fabricated for attention and financial gain.
  • A strong warning is issued against writers who directly ask for money, with the author advising to avoid supporting them due to

How Can You Tell if a Medium Writer Is Telling You the Truth?

Not every writer on Medium is who they say they are. Some writers lie about their lives and experiences.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

I’ve been on many writing platforms over the years and can honestly say that Medium is one of the nicest. Many people want to connect with each other here. They build readerships and friendships. There is a real sense of community.

However, this sense of community, this feeling of being-in-this-togetherness, opens the door to some bad actors. They use it to leverage earnings.

Some people come on to the platform and try to exploit others. They create a false persona and back-story. They write about things that haven’t happened to them to pull in readers.

So, they might write about popular and emotive subjects like addiction, neurodivergence, serious illness, troubled childhood experiences, and dysfunctional relationships. They know that these subjects attract loyal readers who have had similar experiences or who feel sorry for their problems.

They lie to get enough attention to boost their earnings.

You might be shaking your head at me now. But, think about it. For privacy reasons, I don’t have a profile picture and I conceal my name. You can’t check out that I am who I say I am. Anyone can create a fake picture and a fake name on the platform.

I am who I say I am. I mean nobody would be stupid enough to think that pretending to be a middle-aged British woman who writes about all kinds of weird crap will make them a fortune.

But, some dishonest writers appeal to everything that is good about us. They want sympathy, empathy and care. They tap into our natural need to relate, to help, and to support others. They dupe people into becoming their readers by lying to them.

Some people are so good at this that you’ll never know. But, there are sometimes signs that tell you when someone isn’t who or what you think they are.

Something feels off

Our gut instinct helps us decide if we like or trust someone. Sometimes, you’ll come across a writer you like. Their writing seems real. They look good on paper, and you start following them and reading them regularly.

But, something nags at you. You don’t feel comfortable. They can be a great writer creating articles that resonate, but they set off a spidey sense. The more you read, the less you believe in them and what they say.

Listen to your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, then something is wrong.

They can’t keep their stories straight

People who set up a fake persona and write about fake life experiences have to remember what they’ve said or written about in the past.

This isn’t always easy to do, especially if someone writes a lot. Sometimes you can spot discrepancies in their articles or comments. They don’t always keep their stories straight.

They’ll write something that contradicts or doesn’t match something they’ve said before. If they get over-confident, they’ll make these mistakes more often. You’ll read their stuff and start to question whether they are telling the truth.

They lack substance

You can learn enough about most subjects online to write about them in a credible way. But, you can’t duplicate someone’s experience.

For example, I could research and write ADHD articles. But, I don’t have ADHD, so my articles would not have the same depth, individuality, personality and voice as those written by people who live with the condition.

Sometimes, you can spot fake writers because their work lacks substance and depth. They can’t add that touch of personal experience, they can’t answer questions or have a conversation, and they can’t relate to their readers on a deeper level.

They don’t usually like people who ask them difficult questions, want to take the conversation further, or challenge them. If you challenge them or seem sceptical, they might defend themselves.

But, if they can’t shut you up, they’ll usually shut you down. They’ll either ignore you, delete your comments from their stories to pretend that everyone agrees with them or block you.

Bad things happen all the time

None of us has a perfect life. We live in uppy-downy worlds. Sometimes, things are good; sometimes they aren’t.

Dishonest writers who use emotion to pull in people often appear to have really unlucky lives. Bad things happen to them all the time. They write about one thing and then another thing goes wrong.

Their lives are a never-ending pit of doom and gloom. They might throw in positive messages when they write about the latest thing that has gone wrong for them, but their aim is to make people feel sorry for them and to keep reading.

I know that people do have bad streaks of luck this way but, believe me, not to this extent.

They ask you for money

Some fake writers simply want to build a readership and boost their earnings. Every now and then, you come across someone who tries to get money off their contacts more overtly.

I used to be on a writing site with a really active forum. One writer joined the site and, over time, scammed a few people out of money.

They wove this convoluted story on forum posts about how they had moved to a Middle Eastern country with their husband and children. Their husband treated them badly and kept them a virtual prisoner. Then, the writer said that they had cancer and couldn’t get treatment. They needed money to get back to the US.

It only took one writer to offer financial help for a slew of other people to join in. This liar got thousands of dollars out of people on the forum before someone found out that they lived in the Midwest with their very American husband and no children. There was no evidence they had cancer either.

I am instantly suspicious of anyone online who asks me for money. I’m not talking about someone asking for the price of a coffee on Ko-Fi if you like their story. I’m talking about people who ask for larger donations to solve a life problem.

I’m sure some of them are genuine. But, some of them aren’t. If I can’t tell the difference — and you simply can’t online — I’m not taking the risk.

So, what should you do if you come across someone who isn’t really real?

It’s your call. I don’t read their stuff. If I wanted to read fiction, there are plenty of writers on the site who do that.

Want to read more of my articles about Medium? They’re all in this list. If you save the list you’ll get an email/site notification whenever I add a new article to it.

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