STEEM Dollar payouts may be unsustainable - let's hope I'm incorrect!

I've been involved with crypto for quite some time ($4/BTC) and I believe in what is going on here at Steem.
I was asking myself, where does all of this 'monetary value' come from ?
-corporate ads
-google adsense
-sales of x,y & z

Altruistic content is the holy grail w/o a doubt, but can the system survive with a constant drag on it?

I know I'm not the first to notice that the valuations placed on some content is unsustainable and totally off based. I understand that the Steem Power is a long term vehicle. Not criticizing the system per se, but let's face it this oasis could get tainted quickly.

What is propping up this system? All I can come up with is that new BTC came into STEEM via speculators and a few benevolent individuals. Chances are quite high that they've got some massive shorts riding on the simple logic and understanding that when the stampede starts, it'll be swift.

The fact is that many of the popular posting accounts who have had significant windfall amounts of Steem dollars land in their laps do not yet fully understand how to liquidate them. This learning curve may accelerate when (IF) they start to fret over the perceived USD value begins to plummet. I conducted a deposit and withdrawal test today and the speed was unbelievably fast.

Have a look at this account - likely a bot: https://steemit.com/@wang/transfers

I welcome any thoughts you may have - please share below!
(Disclosure: I do not have any shorts on this instrument .)
#steem #steemiit