I am not an expert of blockchain technology, but since I have recently started Steemit, I have noticed some positive and negative sides of Steemit. It is such a great opportunity to be able to connect with people from all over the world and be able to share ideas and thoughts of any sort. But there is this injustice happening, where often great contents go unnoticed, and shallow or simple contents earn a lot.
Sometimes simple and fun content can be entertaining and it deserves to be seen, when it feels genuine. But the problem is that this whole thing sometimes feels like a race for money. Some people buy their way up, and there are those people (‘whales’), who - as it appears to me - don’t even need to produce quality content anymore to earn 100s of $. People will upvote and comment regardless, to get the whale's attention, so that they can climb up on the ladder too. This feels like such a robotic race for money. Where is the soul in this? Where is the genuineness and the value in this?
I have noticed the same thing on other social media too. For example I follow Poetry stuff on Instagram, and there are a lot of mundane writers / poets with such shallow content, followed by 100s of thousands, while they only follow a few. Their content seems interchangeable, and they all sound like they have been written by the same poet. It’s so obvious that they are in only for the money. And they are still followed and loved by the masses. They are obviously financially privileged people, who were able to use their money, targeted marketing, good audience research, campaign experts, professional instagram editors, designers etc for their account, so they have a professional presence, which easily fools people. It is not a new thing that even the shitty stuff can sell to the masses, if it is advertised well. How many celebs do we know who don’t deserve to be put on a pedestal and add no value with their presence? Let’s be honest, most people are gullible and don’t like to think for themselves, so they just accept what’s in front of their faces. And since it’s in their faces as ‘the picture of success’, people believe that that’s what it is, and that it got there on merit, therefore it must be loved. Media tells us who to love. And that’s similar to what is starting to happen on Steemit too.
I don’t deny that there are some genuinely great whale-content here on Steemit (not just good writings, but informative videos too). Which is amazing! But that’s not always the case, judging from what I’ve seen so far. I sometimes find the most amazing stuff written by obscure, hidden people, with a few followers, who obviously are no pro in commercialising themselves, or have not been able to buy their way up.
The blockchain technology is such a great opportunity with it’s transparency and lack of censorship. And it will become what we make it to be. It is a limitless free platform for all creatives and content creators. So I would like to encourage everybody to be genuine, and vote for the real, true, and valuable content, regardless of their 'position or ranking'. Look for the hidden and the alternative, and follow your own decision making, not what's been put in front of your face. Don’t just be a robot in the system! Be genuine and passionate about what you do, and don’t just make this a race for money!
Written by Nightcreature
Photo source: https://pixabay.com/
It's true that when you first get on here, the glaring reality is that shitty content that makes a money appears to be king. But I've found communities on here where hard work and valuable content are truly supported, and I've built up my standing on here that way. I've only put a little bit of money into the platform (basically, I transferred over some of the crypto I already had in altcoins and projects that didn't seem to be going anywhere--not actual dollars), but the majority I've made off of my content itself. And good content occasionally gets noticed and rewarded. The big thing here is finding a community where you're valued and where you value others, and putting in the time and work to foster those relationships. It's not just rewarding financially; it's also rewarding emotionally, and through this you can become a better writer and find opportunities in the "real world" as well. I've become a believer in this platform, but it does require ignoring the surface "injustices" (as you say)--and I don't disagree with you on that point.
Good luck!
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Haha, yes, I felt like I needed to vent a little bit about these. And you're right, it's better to ignore what we don't like, and just focusing on the good stuff. And it's great to hear your positive story, thanks for letting me know! Wish you a lot of success :)
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I agree with with you, some trash content gets upvoted, and some good content goes unnoticed. All social media has the potential for abuse, it's a symptom of where people's values are.
There are also people who have both integrity and voting power. I think you will meet more and more of these people as you go. I was recently picked up by a tribe who appreciate my content, now I get a sizable upvote each day. It hasn't made me lazy, it makes me want to give even more value.
Stick with your integrity and artistry, that's why I followed you. This is the kind of eco system we want to build. I just ignore the robots and game players, they will fall out of favour if they don't produce real content
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Thank you so much! You're totally right about all these, and I like your positive approach! And it's great to hear your success. Like to see your content and keep doing what you're doing! :)
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To the question in your title, my Magic 8-Ball says:
Hi! I'm a bot, and this answer was posted automatically. Check this post out for more information.
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It is by no means a perfect system but the beauty of it is that the people who created this platform are constantly working to make it better. To make it a place where the best rises to the top. That said, it might never be perfect because the "best content" is in the eye of the beholder. What you and I think is amazing might not be what the masses think is good and vice versa.
Keep your eyes and focus on the positive sides, go seek out good content and create those relationships. I mean I found your content right?
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Haha yes you did :) You're right, the picture is not all that bleak after all. I thought if I wrote down what I felt, maybe some people who are easily mislead by numbers, start thinking about it, and maybe it's never too bad to plant seeds to think for ourselves ;) Thanks for commenting!
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