Paying someone to come along for the ride because they have a market of 10000 followers doesn't bring 10000 to the platform, it brings one.

We have nearly eight years of experience watching that approach become a flop.

Using the alternative/independent news and information scene as a pristine example: Several had massive followings on the outside and their work here had trouble generating 10 views. People paid them with large votes just for showing up, as they did nothing to encourage their market to support their content here.

For some strange reason nobody told them they could make the equivalent of several "whales" out of tens of thousands of people with smaller votes, all on their own. They would have had eyes on their product combined with a decentralized revenue stream that rewards both the followed and the followers for as long as they wanted it, if they were encouraged to do so, rather than being paid not to.

The only reason anyone has a following is because they place their content in front of consumers. The platforms they use have millions of content consumers readily available. The only way to uproot and move that crowd is to offer them a better deal. A better deal that's been sitting on the table here, for a very long time. A better deal that somehow remains invisible any time we talk about marketing and mass adoption. This drives me nuts. Makes me feel like I'm living inside a simulation and I'm the only one that knows what a consumer is... lol I joke.