New User Reflections and Experience so far...aka Noob Chronicles

So I think this is Day 3 of Steemit for me. I'm writing this not because I think I'm a special snowflake or that my insight is any more valuable than anyone else's. I'm doing it because memories fade quickly and the accuracy of trying to capture this experience will get fuzzier and more full of crap as time goes on(human memory is unreliable at best). I'm also writing it because I assume at this stage of this experiment that people care, at least a few...or not. My selfish reason is that I think this is pretty cool and the vision seems to be that if we don't all at least provide some input as to how we think this should go or how we perceive our experience here from time-to-time, then it becomes another top-down experience eventually.

Minnows, dolphins and whales OH MY! I know as humans we often can't resist the desire to know our social standing and to create hierarchies. Even in the absence of a stated or enforced hierarchy, we usually create them(Lord of the Flies?). I do find this to be a relatively annoying human trait, however it seems to be both conscious and unconscious and I'm sure I fall into its trap like everyone else. I also try to recognize it in myself whenever possible and rationally push back against it. In my opinion it would be a great exercise for all of us(resist the labels!) if we hope to create a truly decentralized platform with maximum opportunity to participate.

(all pictures labeled for reuse in google images)

In past experiences I personally find it annoying when I enter a new physical or virtual space and the pecking order seems pre-determined and already has names and labels in place. I get that most cultural and social groups will form their own language over time, however labeling and promoting a hierarchy is limiting in my experience and will discourage newcomers over time. Only those with fairly high self confidence or possibly those who really don't give a shit will get past this, but many folks will usually become chronic lurkers as the platform matures.

When I enter a new community I try to read and get the lay of the land, the history, the etiquette as soon as possible. This has worked well for me across numerous internet groups and platforms for the past 20 years or so. In trying to perform my due diligence here I have come across some recent conflicts between more and less powerful members. The recent down voting campaigns and discussions of creating a more linear reward system, users abusing their voting for cash, etc. Seems normal for a bold experiment like this and mostly seems to mimic normal human behavior when money is on the table. If it was easy to create a decentralized and equitable social group, I'm sure we'd all be living in Utopia by now. We certainly wouldn't have the outbursts of global nonsense that we seem to be experiencing right now IRL. I'm from the US and our country is a shitshow to say the least.

My take is that these bumps and bruises are like the flaws in a great piece of marble or the well worn edges of a beautiful sculpture. Much like my own flaws make me human and relatable. The conflicts and histories of a social group provide context and allow for growth. If anyone has ever gotten serious about personal development and raising their self awareness, you know there are many dark corners to probe and mountains to climb. Just seems to be the way this human journey works and is no different for a social organism. The key for an individual or group is if we are able to see the other side in these conflicts and continue to remain open to new information. If we can let go and see failure as learning and growth, then usually we take steps forward. If not, we can get strangled by resentment and drag ourselves and others down. Lets hope we're failing forward instead of backward.

This might be too long for this medium, but hell I'm on a roll..(It's an experiment right?) My final point/observation would be that we're going to consistently find that many people are going to want to come here primarily and even solely to make a buck. It's just the way things roll for humans especially in a world where income inequality is reaching absurd levels. It's something that we'll have to endure as the platform matures and hopefully we reach a critical mass of people who stick around because they are in it for more than money. I'm not going to lie and say it isn't gratifying that my efforts can be rewarded. It's why I'm trying to make a go of it here as opposed to Medium. Which I also like, but have no interest in using manipulative digital marketing techniques to grow a huge following so I can monetize my blog/book/product/whatever. We'll see how that goes, but I'm most likely to stay for great content and to participate in the grand experiment. Dreamers are usually idealists and often fall short of their Utopian ideals, but they also push the needle over time and the world could use some forward momentum in my opinion.