From the abstract I see OP's point to directly apply. Simplistic metrics (number of citations for instance) applied to papers push people toward "easy" decision

From the abstract I see OP's point to directly apply. Simplistic metrics (number of citations for instance) applied to papers push people toward "easy" decisions (reading the "best" papers in priority), and they don't get to discuss the more innovative work. I see the parallel on people too focused on data and easily measurable properties, missing "riskier" works that would rely on subjective evaluation or less clear selection criteria.