So, if an academic paper is published in an open journal by an average citizen with an obsession for learning from online sources. So, there are no credentials but a decent work history. A prestigious college downloads the paper. What are the possible reasons?
without further context, i’m not sure you could read much into a single act of downloading
it could be as simple as it contained some keywords for a lit review someone was doing
from there they might eliminate it from their review, choose to cite it favourably, or choose to criticise it.
if the journal has a good reputation, being a comparatively frequently read (downloaded) paper from a periodical could be considered a positive reception.