Tired of clickbait stories on Medium?

Summary

The article discusses the author's frustration with clickbait content on Medium and offers strategies to curate a more satisfying reading experience.

Abstract

The author, a Medium user, expresses their love for the platform but also their fatigue with the prevalence of clickbait articles, particularly those focused on financial success and follower counts. They argue that such content is often not universally applicable and may not lead to the same outcomes for every reader. To combat this, the author suggests actively avoiding engagement with clickbait, unfollowing writers and publications that produce it, and intentionally seeking out original, well-researched content that aligns with personal interests. By taking these steps, the author has found Medium to be a more enjoyable and informative space. They encourage readers to be proactive in shaping their own content consumption for a better reading experience.

Opinions

The author is critical of clickbait titles and content on Medium, finding them repetitive and unhelpful.
They believe that a one-size-fits-all approach to success on Medium, as often promised by clickbait articles, is not realistic.
Engaging with clickbait content is seen as counterproductive, as it leads to more of the same content being recommended.
Unfollowing writers and publications that produce clickbait is recommended as a way to influence the platform's algorithm for a better content feed.
The author values well-researched, original, and creatively crafted stories and encourages readers to actively seek these out.
There is a call to action for readers to take control of their reading experience on Medium by being selective about the content they engage with.

There are simple ways to fix it and have a better reading experience

I’ve been using Medium for a few months now and I love it.

But…

I got tired of seeing all those samey-samey clickbait titles.

No shade to the people who like to read them, or the writers, but it’s not what I want to see. I don’t want to see so many stories about how much money they make on Medium, how many followers they have gained, and how you can “steal” their strategy for success.

I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all all approach. While we might be able to cherry-pick pieces of those stories that work for us, there’s no guarantee that we will achieve the same results as the writer, if those results are even true.

And yet, I kept seeing those titles on my “For You” page.

Are you tired of clickbait stories on Medium?

If so, here’s what to do:

Hit the unfollow button

If ignoring them doesn’t work, unfollow any writers or publications that publish those stories.

As with all modern websites, there is an algorithm. I’ve noticed I’m seeing a lot fewer stories that annoy me since taking the steps above.

I want to read well-researched, well-considered, creatively crafted stories with some semblance of originality. For that reason, I’ve been using Medium more purposefully. Rather than reading the “For You” stories (predominately clickbait), or the “Staff Picks”, I have sought out stories I want to read by writers or publications I follow, and subjects I am interested in reading about.

I hope to expand my knowledge and increase my enjoyment of reading on Medium. Having made some changes, it already feels like a better place to be.

Join me in thinking about what you would really like to read. Don’t just read what’s in front of you. Some of it might be good, but some of it might be garbage.

Seek things out.

Shape your own experience.

Tired of clickbait stories on Medium?

There are simple ways to fix it and have a better reading experience

Stop reading those stories

Hit the unfollow button

Thanks For Reading