Summary

The author reflects on how Medium has transformed their social interactions, favoring online engagement over face-to-face communication.

Abstract

The article titled "Medium is Changing Me" delves into the author's personal experience with Medium and how it has reshaped their interactions with others. Initially, the author was captivated by the diversity of content and the addictive nature of the platform, which led to a rush to accumulate followers and join the Medium Partner Program. As they transition into a new phase, the author observes a preference for online interactions on Medium, finding them more aligned with their personality and conducive to honest exchanges. The author ponders whether this shift towards more meaningful online interactions is a personal evolution or a broader trend among Medium users, and questions the future of social intercourse as increasingly digital.

Opinions

The author admits to an initial infatuation with Medium, likening their early experience to falling down a rabbit hole filled with diverse content.
They acknowledge a period of superficial engagement on the platform, driven by the goal of monetizing their writing.
The author believes that Medium's environment encourages more open and honest communication compared to traditional social media.
There is a sense of self-discovery and transformation as the author enters a new phase of preferring online interactions over in-person ones.
The author wonders if their personal shift towards online interactions is indicative of a larger societal change, with Medium serving as a catalyst.
They express curiosity about whether other users are experiencing a similar change in their social dynamics due to Medium.
The author is contemplative about the future, considering the possibility that online interactions may soon surpass face-to-face encounters.
They invite readers to share their own experiences and insights into how Medium has influenced their social behavior and to speculate on future trends in social interaction.

Medium is Changing Me

Have you noticed how Medium alters the way you interact with people?

Maybe, it’s just me. But have you noticed how Medium changes you? I’ve observed it happens in phases and I just entered into a brand new phase.

Phase one was my first few weeks on Medium. It felt like fell into a Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole that was a parallel universe like Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library. Fortunately, I haven’t met the Queen of Hearts yet.

I instantly loved the diversity of articles on Medium. As I former addict who loves to write, I could feel the addictive pull Medium had on my mind too.

I’m sure you’ve felt this addictive nature of Medium. I was reading so fast in my first few weeks on Medium I couldn’t remember what I was reading. I was on a quest to get to 100 Followers and to join the Medium Partner Program.

Sorry if I commented on your article during that phase without really reading your article. I wanted to get started earning money doing what I love: writing.

Remember that phase? I slowed down after I got 75 followers and started to enjoy reading the honest writing that is different than other social media.

And now I am entering a new phase and sensing a different way Medium is changing me. And I am curious if Medium is changing you in this way too.

Medium Phase Two

The change I’ve noticed in me is how I like interacting with people on Medium better than face to face in real life. I know our exchanges are short (a few sentences) and not the same as a face-to-face conversation with a friend.

But feels like a better fit for my personality. And it feels like I get to know you (if I read your articles on a consistent basis) easier than in person because people share more openly and honestly than they often do in a conversation.

And I wonder if this is a sign I am entering deeper into this parallel universe known as Medium and I am entering a phase where my interaction with others will take place more online than face to face with people?

And I think it’s not just me … it feels like thousands of members on Medium whose form of communication may be seismically shifting away from person to person and more to online interactions as a form of social intercourse.

Maybe, this is normal to other people. I’ve never played video games online with other people. I got married before online dating became a thing. I’ve never belonged to a Facebook group. I can barely shop online on Amazon.

But I am wondering if anyone feels the same way I do? Do you see how you are changing the way you interact with people? And could you see yourself interacting with people more online than face to face in the future?

It feels like I am at a shifting point in my life in how I interact with others, straddling the borders between face-to-face and online interactions, and I want to know if you have noticed yourself crossing this invisible line.

Is this the way we’re all going to be interacting (or already doing so) in the next two or three years? Leave me a comment about what you think.

If you’ve entered a phase on Medium that I haven’t, living the laptop lifestyle like Tim Denning, let me know what my life is going to look like in the future.

I love reading and writing on Medium.

If you are not a Medium member yet and would like and would like to receive unlimited access to all Medium content, you can sign up here. It’s just $5 a month. I will receive a small referral bonus, at no additional cost to you, when you sign up using my link.

Check out my journey as a writer on my YouTube channel.

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