Corruption
It seems that everyone these days is talking about corruption. Most likely due to the fact that it is so present in today’s world. We had YouTube recently going through a demonetization epidemic of anyone that had views that could be seen by the victim groups as offensive. Twitter suspending the accounts of people for the same reasons. From what I hear Facebook is even censoring posts about Steemit, and in some cases deleting accounts of people advocating for it. I’m not sure if this last one is valid or not, but I have heard people making the claims, and it makes sense.
In comes Steemit
A platform has been created that allows for all content, excluding plagiarism. The only way your posts can be “censored” (downvoted or flagged) is if you offend your peers on the platform. There is no central entity calling the shots to what content should be allowed or not. To top it all off you have the potential to make some money as well, provided you can create good content and build a following. The only limitation on this platform is your own imagination.
One thing in particular that stands out for me is the community. You generally will only find people commenting on your posts that hold similar interests. Due to the monetization of your content, there is not financial gain to “trolling” others. In fact, it is generally in your financial interest to stick to content that interests you and leave the others alone. These simple facts lead to the building of a set of communities, which in turn strengthens the overall community. Plus the networking is beyond compare. Using third party apps such as Discord and Mumble, you can connect to other “steemians” with common interests (finding many valuable friends you would not have met otherwise).
However, if you are reading this then you're probably aware of all of this already. Chalk it up to the ramblings of a newish user who is still caught in the Steem flow. The main reason I wanted to make this post is to talk about my views on corruption. The above examples were the best way to describe the way I feel.
I believe that corruption is not necessarily a bad thing. Evil yes, but not bad. My thoughts are that without corruption there would be no reason for the greatly just people of the world to stand up and make themselves known. Offering solutions to the corruption, or even a focal point for the fed up masses to make a stand. I don’t believe we would have any historical heroes to model our principles and morals after if corruption did not exist in the first place.
Corruption itself can take many forms. It can be the bully in the school yard that harassed you every day. You personally know how the bully’s actions made you feel, and you would never want someone else to feel the way you have. That bully has given you the experiences to make yourself greater. “Corruption” in this case has ultimately done some good. Without the corruption in the big social media platforms the inspiration and ideas behind Steemit may not have existed, another example of some good coming from corruption (or at least having a part in it).
You don’t have to be an influential media icon to do your part in battling corruption. Just do right by the people around you and those who you have influence over. Never betray someone’s trust, and treat all people with honesty and respect.