After giving you 19 claps I wasn’t sure if let go the button or give you a few more. After thinking about it, I believe it was because the 50 claps measurement doesn’t mean much to me. Although I agree with you in some parts (you’re right, I rarely clap to the computer or a book after reading an interesting sentence) but when you have the opportunity to measure how much you like something it gives the reader a better option to express themselves as in; sometimes people like an article, sometimes they like another a lot more. They liked them both, but having the possibility of saying “I liked this one better” gives them the satisfaction of having expressed themselves better. However, the 50 claps range is what feels odd to me for two reasons:

1. I don’t know what 27 claps mean. Is 11 claps too little? What about 42?, very deep meaning; after all is the answer of life, universe and everything, right? Having such a wide range blurs the difference of what I want to “say” about the article.
2. I never count my claps when I applaud at the theater or a concert. I just do. So having to count them triggers more questions than it should.

Platforms need metrics, I understand, is just that this clap system is in a weird position between new / intuitive and “why would I clap to my screen?”