I've also wondered about tons of claps on poorly written and researched articles. I've thought that some of the 'writers' are using AI services like Rytr to create things, then not even reading them before posting.

The problem is that this rampant crap dilutes the space, and makes it a challenge to deliver new members. Imagine what people think when I tell them what a great source Medium is for reading a wide variety of content, only to have them choose a handful of articles to check out and they're those!!

At some point, this needs to be addressed. I appreciate that I didn't have to jump through hoops to begin writing, but I've been quite disappointed with crap articles and/or clickbait.

I appreciate your articles!