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Thought of the day
Medium at crossroads
The old saying tells us that the fish rots from the head.
Medium is a creation of Ev Williams, and whatever is good or bad reflects his vision of Medium as of the moment. He tried different concepts before, and I read that new changes are coming next month. In a few surveys, Medium asked my opinions. Judging by the questions I was asked, I do not expect any changes that can help to accelerate Medium growth.
Ev’s attempts are futile because he lacks a clear vision of the purpose of Medium.
Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook to chat with girls. He hit a sweet spot because people always wasted a tremendous amount of time chatting about nothing. With technological progress, we are busier and have fewer opportunities for personal conversations. Facebook makes it easy to chat about anything wherever we are.
Commercial TV shaped an audience with a 30-second attention span. People with that mindset found Twitter appealing. But its social impact is now mostly in one-way messaging from influencers to their followers.
When I renewed my Medium subscription, I received a standard email from Ev Williams. He stated in bold the purpose of Medium as “To deepen understanding of the world and spread ideas that matter.” It sounds noble, but it is hollow. People disagree…
