Should we bother with the Medium Partner Program?

I have been posting on Medium since 2014. I’ve become accustomed to it, I’ve seen it grow and change to become what it is today. I’ve always defended the platform. I’ve even, to some extent, helped popularise it in Bulgaria. But Medium is really making it hard for me to keep trying.

Let’s start from the first sentence. I’ve been writing since 2014. I blame my lack of success on my irregular posting. Never once have I blamed the platform for not receiving much attention and letting good articles go to waste, because no one is reading them. Some articles that I find more clever than others do poorly and others, which I find average, perform okay. Whatever the results, though, I’ve always considered myself to be responsible. My lack of agency and commitment are the cause for my fluctuating results.

I joined the Medium Partner Program partly out of curiosity, partly because I grew tired of the limitations of the free experience. Seeing all the stars above the featured articles with catchy headlines I wanted to read but couldn’t was similar to Spotify’s advertising bombardment. I just couldn’t stand it anymore, so I joined. There was of course the added plus of potentially getting paid for content. It was quite alluring. Supporting writers, whilst also being supported. Finally, becoming a proper part of the community. These were the potential effects. What actually happened is:

1. I signed up
2. I got excited and read a lot or articles, seeing the benefits of the program from a reader’s perspective
3. Wrote a few articles, which took a bit more research, planned another few; Ended up not really receiving any benefits from a writer’s perspective.

I’ll elaborate the third point. There was no difference in the way I used Medium before versus after I became a member. I didn’t really see any benefit from a writer’s point of view. And I again blamed myself and the fact that I wasn’t producing content quickly enough. Which is a fair point. However, I was planning on understanding the program and making full use of it in the near future when I have a bit more extra time and extra content.

I’ve come to accept the fact that that is never going to happen. The last email I got from Medium, concerning the required taxpayer information has made me rethink my plan. There’s four reasons for this:

1. I have too many questions. I have no idea how taxing in the U.S. works. And why should I? I don’t live or work in the U.S. I don’t even have a visa.
2. What are you trying to tax me on? The 1 dollar I potentially make a month? Is that what this is about? Am I getting taxed? I don’t know. I don’t even know which tax form I’m supposed to fill in (and Medium’s tax form questionnaire isn’t helping). I’m a university student, I’m not supposed to pay taxes yet.
3. This makes me feel stupid. I am intelligent and well-educated (and still being educated). The fact that this email and the information in the subsequent links are presented matter-of-factly and as something “by the way”, makes it seem like it’s supposed to be easy and obvious. That results in people unfamiliar with U.S. tax laws, such as myself, feel dim. While truth is, it would be a bit of an effort to figure them out. Which leads to my last point.
4. I can’t be bothered. I can’t get any money from Medium unless I fill this in. Okay, but I don’t really get any money from you now anyway. So why should I bother to research a topic I will never need and fill in something I’m not sure I agree with? To not receive any money anyway?

I might be completely wrong and I invite people to prove me so. However, Medium is supposed to be an international platform. There’s a plethora of writers from around the world, writing about their experiences and observations. Things that, often, have nothing to do with the U.S. and are sometimes not even aimed at U.S. audience. So why should that writing be taxed by the U.S.? Why should it be taxed by anyone if it is not technically related to any country? This is an online space and while Medium the company may be based in the U.S., plenty of the writers are not. So why should be bother?