Medium, an online publishing platform, is reshaping the internet’s architecture by offering a hybrid of a social network and a publishing platform. It’s a space where anyone can publish anything, from personal stories to professional articles. Medium’s design encourages users to read, write, and engage with the content, rather than just browse and share.

The platform’s unique architecture challenges the traditional internet model. Medium’s design limits the noise and distraction often found on other websites, and its algorithm promotes high-quality content, rather than just popular content.

The platform also encourages thoughtful engagement by limiting comments to notes that authors can choose to make public and by promoting responses as separate posts. This design choice discourages trolling and encourages constructive conversation.

However, Medium’s architecture also raises concerns about the homogenisation of the internet. Its design and algorithm can create echo chambers, where users are only exposed to views that align with their own. Additionally, while Medium promotes high-quality content, it doesn’t necessarily promote a diversity of voices.

In conclusion, Medium’s architecture offers a new model for the internet, focusing on quality and engagement over popularity and noise. However, its approach also poses challenges to the diversity and openness of the internet.

Go to source article: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/medium-is-the-message-paradise-paved-internet-architecture/396227/