The Reward System in Steemit | My Thoughts on Meritocracy and Social Heirarchy of the Platform

Good day Steemians! Today I am going to make a short write up on my current thoughts about the platform. I have had these thoughts for a while now and I just want to dump it out of my system. This is also in line with my plans to create a series of posts on Political Philosophy

Steemit is an incentivized and decentralized platform built on the Steem blockchain

_{Diboune Juba (2017) at dribbble.com}

Most of the users are already familiar with how the system goes around here. The concepts of Decentralization, Steem as a smart media token and the idea of a block chain would be familiar already. However, I would like to focus on the idea of Steemit being "incentivized". It is with no doubt that Steemit is different from other social media sites simply because of this one. In other media, our thoughts are profit for the developers and owners and we are simply there as customers for the use of their facility. It is however noteworthy that we users are always the assets of the site. And the sole idea if being rewarded with your intellectual property is a big deal. It comes to no surprise that a lot if users are now flocking in to the platform.

Because it is incentivized, this raises the questions as to how rewards should be distributed? This is where my thoughts come in. Allow me to share my thoughts on reward system, motivation and meritocracy in steemit.

Spirit of Meritocracy

Meritocracy is a political thought which suggests that people who possess good skills and are of more value are given better benefits.

Plato, in his book The Republic advocated the idea of meritocracy. He believed that people with greater abilities were better suited for higher positions. It is implied that status and skill set make up the basis of position and power. In his book he lays down a fable about a god who has fashioned people out of elements.

_{Seth Eckert (2015) at dribbble.com}

He asserts that a god favors people who fit in their rightful position of designation. Those who are of great power are made of gold, of precious quality and rarity. The gods have put silver as auxiliaries and iron and brass in farmers and craftsmen. This immediately shows how he believes that a community (or a nation in his context) needs to have a hierarchy based on merits. The same concept echoes in Steemit as a community of content creators.

Social Heirarchy in Steemit

In Steemit, I guess most are already aware of the social status of individuals. A user, @crypto makes the distinction between them in his post: Steemit: Whales, Dolphins, and Minnows- The Importance of Steem Power on Steemit.

• Whales are the rulers of the platform, often shown in the trending section and have steem power of 50,000 or more. They are very influential and people lower than them are often motivated to chase after these users for a small taste of their upvote.
• Dolphins are auxiliaries in Plato's analogy. These people have grown in the platform either through investment or through posting quality content and gaining influence over time.
• Plankton/Minnows are the mere craftsmen making their way to the top of the foodchain and rely on he bigger fishes to be able to make it through the current of life in the platform

_{Oliver Sin (2015) at dribbble.com}

We even have the reputation system as a means to publicize our status aside from our earnings and account value. A user's post quality, curation history, engagement and followers make up one's reputation score. You can see @arcange's post to know more about reputation and the factors that affect it: What is Steemit reputation and how does it work?

Does the platform intentionally divide users into social strata?In all honesty, I believe it does. Even if the platform was built on the idea of anarchy and decentralization, there is always inequality as man is destined to seek out greener pastures and go ahead of others.

However, instead of seeing this as an act of division and injustice, the meritocratic system in Steemit, I believe it was made to foster growth. The idea of improving on the platform would have to be necessary in Steemit. The social strata, and belonging in the lower class, is a great motivation to climb up the social ladder. In my opinion, these are great ways to elevate your status in Steemit:

1. Honing your talents and skills

Because of the premise that only the gifted can merit from the system, this makes it very much imperative to make sure that you are doing your best to develop your own skill set. You may be good at writing, drawing, scultping, leading or any other skill you can offer to the community. What matters is that you have something to offer and you are finding ways to work on it. Find out what you are good at and make the best out of it.

_{doodledoMOTION (2015) at dribbble.com}

Steemit is a great way to develop those dormant skills just waiting to be reactivated. The community urges us to hone our talents and publicize it to everyone. The best part about this is that the community can watch you grow. Users love to see their fellow users do better. You need to find your worth, your niche, your own personal brand in Steemit and make sure that you are driven enough to push yourself to your limits.

2. Engaging in Communities

A community is a great place for us to start building on our self. The best part here is that as we grow, the community grows with us. An atmosphere of acceptance and belongingness paired with healthy competition has to be present to foster positive growth.

_{Seth Eckert (2015) at dribbble.com}

In my own observation, some communities ask for donations, others give out tasks in service to others, while some carry out contests to reward members. All of these are conducted to imbibe that sense of belongingness, of engagement and togetherness. It is that push and pull between competition and collaboration that enriches growth.

In addition, communities provide you with the means heighten your status as you cannot have a group of people run without positions, objectives and tasks involved. If you find yourself able to fill in a role, then you have elevated your status successfully.

3. Powering Up

This is one of the best ways to move up the social ladder in Steemit. What makes whales so valuable to us is the value that their upvote can contribute to our posts. Minnows can chase after whales and gain success in the platform. We depend on their mercy to grow. This is perfectly fine, in fact I see this as a norm. But here's an idea. Why not grow yourself into a whale instead?

_{Shabello (2015) at dribbble.com}

As absurd as that may sound, try to look at it this way. Steemit is just starting to grow influence worldwide. And as time approaches where there is not enough steem in circulation, an account which holds greater steem in steempower proves to be a more valuable member than those who dont. This is why we are encouraged to HODL on our Steem and grow influence in the platform. We shouldn't antagonize cashing out as well. Author rewards are the bread and butter of users here. However it does help to know that powering up should be done by everyone wishing to stay long term. We need to think ahead. And I am firm that this is one way to heighten your sense of value. Commitment does pay off in time.

In Summary

_{Mark Bult (2014) at dribbble.com}

The spirit of meritocracy continues to hold true in Steemit. I see no other way around it but this way. Rewards will continue to be a prime motivation for users. And this concept will not cease to drive people into the blockchain. I am firm of the importance of being aware of that. Just like any organization, there should be no other way but up.

The social heirarchy in steemit may create division but it is in this stratification that propels users to excel. Quality posts, exceptional curation and positive comments are highly regarded in Steemit. This is what each user must aim for. And when we chase after quality, quality chases after us.

In the end, the means to climb up the social ladder is up to you. I have simply laid down my thoughts as to what I think each of us can do to further our growth. We have individual differences and strategies to make use of the platform. I just hope that we are all determined to make it through.

Thanks so much for reading!

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