I read most of the Medium articles on my cell phone. I don't know if it's my phone or my thumb, but when I try to click more than 5-10 claps, my phone switches to another site. So I have decided on 10 claps (on phone or computer) as an indication of appreciation.

When I'm on the receiving end, what I'd much rather have than more than one clap or 50 claps is a description of what the reader found useful / interesting or pointless / boring.