2015 was the year Medium found its voice. Actually, many voices. Not long ago, we passed 1 million posts on the site. If all goes well over the next few days, we will pass 2 million before the year is over.
We asked members of our staff to share some of the pieces that moved them the most in 2015, along with a bit of context on what made them special. It is hard to narrow down a list like this — there are too many great writers to choose from — so this is admittedly subjective. But it is a good problem to have. We feel fortunate that so many people have turned to Medium to share their unique perspectives, influence others, or make news.
Some of the posts below are probably familiar. They became overnight sensations, often touching the core of a national conversation. Others emerged slowly, serendipitously, finding the right audience over time. All are deeply original. Collectively, they reflect the breadth and depth of the many voices of Medium.
We hope you enjoy reading (or re-reading) these as much as we enjoyed putting them together.
— Medium Staff
Personal Storytelling
That most basic of human urges — sharing personal stories — formed the beating heart of Medium. Raw, primal, honest stories about love and heartbreak, work and family, illness and life and death were read and shared by millions of people.
— Kate Lee, Head of Outreach
Letters
This year, we watched wave after wave of letters flow in and around Medium. Some were written out of heartbreak, or sent out as a call for change. Some were messages to future and former selves, while some went to leaders, family, and friends.
— Greg Gueldner, User Happiness
Humor
Humor; its cousin, satire; and their drunk uncle, parody, stole the limelight. We laugh-cried our way through fictional startup operas and how-to guides on cohabiting with unicorns. We asked hard questions about tiny houses and peak chill. And we witnessed the (second) coming of Weird Medium.
— Nick Fisher, User Happiness
Process and Craft
Designers, engineers, writers, and other experts shared insights into their process and craft — creative, technical, entrepreneurial. Creators demystified how they solve knotty problems and work on our most ubiquitous tools, giving readers a peek behind the curtain.
— Kate Lee
Eyewitness News
When terrorists struck Paris, users turned to Medium to process what had happened. Within hours, hundreds had written about the attacks, including people caught up in events on the ground. Whether it was terror, police brutality, or on-campus racism, writers were compelled to bear witness.
— Bobbie Johnson, Editor
Activism
People turned to Medium to tell their own stories, in their own voices, on their own terms. They could share their perspectives — provocative, authentic, news-making — about race relations, trans issues, and diversity in technology without compromise and without fear of abuse.
— Mark Lotto, Head of Editorial
Politics
The publication of President Obama’s State of the Union address kicked off 2015, breaking the traditional White House embargo to directly address the public. As the year progressed, politicians of all stripes made their own news around the most important issues of our day.
— Matt Higginson, Politics & Advocacy
Conversations
Dynamic, meaningful debate and dialogue increasingly took place in the public eye: Two corporate titans went head to head; a pair of global philanthropists tackled poverty; a renegade YouTube star crowd-sourced the case against Facebook.
— Sophia Banay Moura, Business & Technology
We’re not the only ones on Medium taking stock of the year. Read Years in Review for writers looking back at the work they produced in 2015, and publications’ imagined Posts from the Near Future.
