Thanks for a well thought out and useful post, a rarity (in my experience of Medium) among articles that promise to give you the "real" nitty gritty about social media or whatever. Don't forget, however, that some of us use certain platforms strictly for fun. On Instagram, for instance, I'm part of an informal circle of people who photograph and share pictures of old signs, odd houses, and such. It's like being in a club. I have no expectations of getting anything monetary from it. Come to think of it, that's why it's called "social" media. As for Medium, I contribute and I find articles to enjoy, but I've yet to see much correlation between quality of writing and followings. Indeed, it seems as though many of the most successful contributors mostly write about what one should do to be more successful on Medium.