Medium dot com is probably the most annoying website on the internet right now.

It does a great job of being a site that stands against everything the internet represents.

When you put a stupid fucking fade out effect on a blog post where you go from reading a mildly enjoyable blog post to staring at a paywall, you are.. what’s the word ?

KILLING THE VIBE

I don’t want to read a FUCKING PAYWALLED POST, I have questions i need answered and the medium article popped up in my google search results! So why do i need to be halfway towards my answer and get cut off by a stupid fucking paywall.

WHAT THE FUCK?

Imagine if Netflix decided it was going support free tiers, and then 20 minutes into Stranger Things finale you get hit by a stupid fucking screen telling you,

To keep enjoying this episode, Pay for Netflix Premium

All that communicates to me is that you hate me and want me to leave your platform, never to return again, ever.

Who’s idea was this ?

Well, this might be news to you, but it is a stupid idea.

The internet was designed to allow people make and share things for others to consume and enjoy, not because they want to profit off it, but because they really had something to share.

I have no problem with people making valuable content and deciding it’s not in their best interests to give it away for free. I understand helping writers monetize their writing.

But if that content is an article ?

How much is an article worth ?

If you’re not a great writer and don’t write lots of interesting stuff for ME specifically, I am not giving you a single dime of my hard earned money, sorry.

Imagine you’re a writer, the first time i come across your work, it has a lazy PAYWALL stamped on it beyond the 4th paragraph. Sloppy.

I like having an internal dialogue like this -

Wow, this blog post changed my life, how is this free ?

But i hate when it’s this -

I was really enjoying that blog, but $4/month to read the rest, really?

Paywalled articles are an internet antipattern. Please do better folks @ medium dot com.

Oh and if you’re reading this blog post and you think i’m just some pesky, demanding free user, note that medium.com is not different type of software platform. It’s an information platform, monetizing non-niche information on the internet, which should ordinarily be free. A lot more love has to be put in to the experience, else you get more blog posts like this.

Ciao.