Ok so I have a theory that isn’t back up by any proof but I think many of these new writers have multiple accounts and each account logs in after a story has been published and goes to town on clapping and engagement. I also think these writers are apart of a ring, where perhaps they meet on a discord or facebook group and they all band together, creating multiple accounts and all strategically scratch each others backs.

The advantage for them to do this is once they publish their ‘engagement ring’ kick starts the large amount of claps and then other newer writers who are desperate for reciprocal readership see these stories with many claps and then click on the story, add to the claps and leave comments such as ‘great’ ‘nice’ or ‘good’.

So it ends up looking like a story has a high amount of engagement but really it’s all fabricated.

This is just my thoughts, I coukd be so way off the mark!