I agree with the links that break up the middle of an article. It's distracting. However, I always link to related articles at the bottom of a piece. One or two at most.

Yes, Medium will provide additional resources. But, if you publish in publications, those recommendations will be related to the pub, not the author. Point proven in the fact that none of the three articles at the bottom of this article are yours.

For me, it's not about the views or read times, it's about engaging potential followers. My notifications tell me it works. If someone feels compelled to click on a article about feminism and I provide a link or two to a similar article, I find they will read that IF they found value in the main article. It helps them make the determination of whether I'm a reliable source of quality writing they can connect with.