Is Medium Losing Its Luster? Analyzing the Decline of the Platform
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Chapter 1 The Rise and Fall of Medium
As a British individual, I have always found it peculiar that some authors on Medium openly share their impressive earnings. In the UK, discussing income is often viewed as rather inappropriate. However, it appears that these earnings reports have become scarce recently. This leads me to believe that many writers, including myself, have experienced a significant reduction in earnings from Medium. Consequently, it seems the platform is facing a rapid downturn, particularly from the perspective of its creators.
Many of the authors I previously followed have either decreased their posting frequency or migrated to alternative platforms like Substack. This shift is understandable, given that it seems Medium has slashed its payouts by fifty percent or more.
Section 1.1 Factors Behind the Decline
Several theories have emerged regarding the plummeting earnings on Medium, including:
- The Boost Feature: This flawed feature appears to siphon revenue away from standard articles. Despite its shortcomings, the program is being expanded, which implies that the situation could worsen. It is also susceptible to favoritism, allowing nominators to Boost their own content.
- Impact of AI: The presence of AI-generated articles continues to affect the platform significantly. While there has been a decline in generic AI-written listicles, numerous articles still exist, albeit with the AI's involvement more subtly concealed.
- Expansion of the Medium Partnership Program (MPP): Recently, the MPP has been extended to 77 additional countries, allowing residents of these nations to earn from their contributions. While this move promotes inclusivity, it can also dilute earnings. As one learns in basic math, dividing a pizza among more people results in smaller slices—could this be the reason behind shrinking payouts?
- Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Medium's CEO, Tony Stubblebine, has referred to writer compensation as part of the company’s “COGS,” equating it to expenses like utility bills and rent. This perspective raises concerns about whether writers are viewed merely as costs to minimize rather than valuable contributors to the platform.
Until there is a shift in strategy, it seems futile to produce meticulously crafted pieces that yield minimal financial reward. The risk of Medium entering a downward spiral is real, where reduced writer output leads to further declines.
I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Is Medium truly losing its appeal?
Subsection 1.1.1 Video Insights
Chapter 2 The Impact of Earnings on Writers
The first video titled "Busted Flush Meaning" explores the concept of lost potential within platforms like Medium, emphasizing the implications for writers.
The second video, "How to Replace Leaking and Broken Sloan Regal Flushometer," provides insights into fixing problems, mirroring the need for solutions on platforms facing decline.