Your points are spot on, as I also have the same perspective. The current distribution system is not transparent and confusing even to publication owners who have access to stats.
For example, a simple story on Illumination received 70,000 views yesterday, apparently distributed by Medium. Other stories of the same quality and even written by experts like PhDs get under 20 views which seem to be not distributed. So there’s a dichotomy that creates inequality.
I posted an important article about mental health improvement a few days ago, which might bring hope to thousands of people, and got only a handful of views as the algorithm seems to restrict the word depression in the headline. This immature AI system, coupled with an unequal distribution approach, might hurt Medium.
Here is the link to the story as I try to create awareness to contribute to those who suffer from depression.
