After *finally* hitting $1 a day for the first time ever in September, the first week of October has seen my earnings drop to literal pennies. I don't get many generic comments, so I doubt that all the people who engage with me are high-volume gaming the system types, rather than genuine commenters.
It's frustrating af, but the internet is a fickle little so-and-so, and algorithm tweaks will come and go (it does feel like maybe they turned the dial a little too high on this one though!)