avatarMike Broadly, DHSc

Summary

An experienced Medium user and scientist expresses concerns about the platform's algorithm, which seems to prioritize certain topics and authors, particularly in science-related content, potentially at the expense of diverse and quality stories from lesser-known writers.

Abstract

The author, a seasoned Medium user and scientist, shares a critical observation of Medium's content distribution algorithm. Over a 30-minute browsing session across six major topics, the user notes a pattern where the algorithm favors certain authors and subjects, such as ChatGPT in the science category, which has 3.9 million followers. This preference appears to overshadow the work of real scientists and writers, including the author's own impactful stories on cancer research. The user, who has curated hundreds of stories and taken a break from writing, feels that Medium's algorithm has penalized them for critiquing the platform, resulting in reduced visibility of their content. The essay, which is visually rich and equivalent to a 7000-word narrative, calls attention to the challenges faced by writers seeking distribution and the potential loss of valuable content due to the algorithm's biases.

Opinions

  • The author is critical of Medium's algorithm, suggesting it may not be serving the best interests of all writers and readers.
  • There is a perceived lack of diversity in the content being promoted, with an overemphasis on topics like ChatGPT.
  • The author believes that the algorithm's current state may be detrimental to the visibility of scientific research and quality writing.
  • The user feels that their constructive criticism of Medium's algorithm has resulted in punitive measures, such as reduced distribution of their content.
  • Despite the challenges, the author remains committed to discovering and promoting quality content on the platform as a reader and curator.
  • The author questions whether Medium's curators are paid or if they volunteer, suggesting that there might be a pool of willing volunteers if Medium were to accept them.
  • The essay implies that Medium's focus on popular topics may be at the cost of ignoring important work by lesser-known authors, such as the author's own research on cancer.
  • The author expresses a sense of disappointment and disillusionment with Medium's current content distribution practices.

Look, What Medium Algo Is Busy With Serving Millions of Readers on the Topic Pages

As an avid reader and a Friend of Medium who explores diverse subjects, I find myself disheartened and disappointed.

Photo by Tom Fisk from Pexels

Yesterday, I encountered an insightful yet concerning piece written by Dr Mehmet Yildiz, someone I know personally and who invited me to Medium and continues to mentor me to become a better writer, editor, publisher, and curator. His decision to share such a serious story publicly piqued my interest. He wouldn’t write something lightly or randomly. I had no idea what NewBreak was but I learned a bit about it today and will write a short story later. You can find the details in his story.

My AHA Moment

The key point for my story is that shortly after, I encountered a noteworthy comment from the insightful reader Obinna Uruakpa, whose questions resonated with me, giving me an AHA moment, and igniting my scientific curiosity.

With over five decades dedicated to discerning patterns even at a subatomic level, exploring the nuances of Medium’s algorithm doesn’t appear as daunting

In this visual odyssey, I will paint a narrative as rich as 7000 words, proving that a picture is worth a thousand words and might just fill my daily quote quota.

This is an intriguing exploration of Medium’s subscriber journey to the perplexing pathways of the topics pages and the platform’s bustling front door.

Join me in decoding the visual poetry and pondering why our tales, like cherished paintings, yearn for more views in this dynamic Medium gallery. I screen-captured them to make this story easy to follow.

My Findings via a Short Visit to the Latest Served Articles by Medium Algorithm to Millions of Readers

It took me around 30 minutes to browse six major topics that were interesting to me. I am an avid reader and a supportive Friend of Medium who pays three times more than standard members to read the best stories the Medium algorithm serves.

So, as a follower of multiple topics as my biggest interest, I started with health, followed by 4 Million readers.

1 — Health

Here is what the algorithm is distributing to health readers of Medium.

2 — Technology

As a tech-savvy scientist, I was curious what Medium would offer me as a Friend of Medium. Here is what I got. How insightful to get these messages from the same author.

3 — Psychology

Then I visited my next favorite topic, Psychology followed by 4 Million people.

4 — Science

As a former scientist, I wondered what is cooking up in the science world, considering so many doctoral and postdoctoral scientists writing on this platform. This topic is followed by 3.9 Million people.

5 — Mental Health

I wondered what was happening in the Mental Health topic followed by 3.6M Followers. I was served with a story about CusTomer Care Helpline.

6 — Writing

Then I thought I might find some handy writing tips as I couldn’t write much lately due to no views from Medium readers. Isn’t it wonderful to find these writing tips on a grand medium topic followed by 4 million people?

7 — Curated Science Lists

Then I wondered what Medium curators would offer me for science as their curated list. This is what I found in the science topic, followed by 3.9 million people.

Apart from some good insights from John Gluck, the other four major lists are about ChatGPT. As a retired scientist, I kept wondering why I joined Medium as a friend to read about ChatGPT. This is what Medium curators curated for science readers, followed by millions of people on the topic page.

I read and curated hundreds of stories written by real scientists invited by Dr. Yildiz for ILLUMINATION publications. There is not a single list to show their curated/boosted stories. I wonder whether Medium pays these curators or if they are created by volunteers. Like me, I assume there will be many volunteers to curate science topics if Medium accepts volunteers.

I wrote about my cancer research and posted it to ILLUMINATION-Curated, hoping it would be boosted as it was an impactful story, and it only got a handful of views from my direct links as it was not distributed because millions of readers seemed to be too busy to learn about ChatGPT. Why would readers care about the work of an old scientist if they can get answers from popular ChatGPT favored by Medium curators?

For curated content, you may explore my recent 26 collections. While I’ve taken a break from writing, I remain an avid reader and curator, supporting inspiring human writers on this platform. The front yard may be cluttered, but amidst the rubbish, gems await discovery.

Until August, I was very happy as an aspiring writer on Medium, gaining many followers as Medium’s algorithm used to distribute my stories. However, writing this piece landed me in distribution jail. I wish I hadn’t written it, but someone needed to do it during that time, as I did Medium’s job, and the punitive Algo punished me by depriving me of my audience to see my content.

Thank you for reading my 7000-word worth essay. I’d love to hear about your comments. I mean, a few lucky people can see this post because the Medium algorithm will not distribute such a low-quality article that does not meet distribution/boost guidelines.

To read stories like this, you may subscribe to my content.

Writing
Health
Science
Technology
Psychology
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