I think when it comes to content creation for new users a lot of it is fear.

Is it good enough...is it quality content...is it valuable to someone...what if I get down voted...what if no one reads it?

A lot of fear for some and a difficult think to overcome. It is not only in content creation, but also in leaving comments that new users are afraid. A lot of it is from the early days and the extreme focus on quality content. Today it is nice to see Hive changing, and the Hive culture changing.

People should not be afraid of creating, or commenting, but a lot of people seem to be. I don't know from a year ago how many comments were left on post, but it seems to me I see more and more post with comments so perhaps the fear is subsiding.