I agree with so much of this. First, why do only 6 percent of writers make more than $100 a month? I was much better off in the previous compensation system. It’s discouraging to lose ground and like you said, creates income inequality similar to our society. Despite lip service about anyone can make it here, etc., it’s a star system, not a diverse public square, and many of these changes amplify that.

I need to see what other people are clapping for to find my people, my stories, my niche. I don’t want the Top Ten. I need to see my own claps to remember what I was reading that I liked so much. And I need to see who others are following (and whom I follow) for the same reasons. Like you, I don’t want to be pushed toward or limited to the most popular stories, which are rarely the ones I want to read.

It’s sad that instead of empowering the many the changes are further glorifying the few. I don’t need more celebrities in my life. And I don’t need another news aggregator. I need a system of warrens and paths I can follow to find interesting discussions of eclectic topics. And fiction and poetry! :) We all do.