Recently, 
https://steemit.com/steem/@enforcer48/from-a-layman-s-view-part-i
https://steemit.com/steem/@enforcer48/from-a-layman-s-view-part-ii
The analysis is spot on, yet there is one thing in my opinion that is crucial yet not mentioned (yet, perhaps in the next installment it was coming).
Human nature being what it is, people are prone to taking the path of least resistance. That description is the opposite of what is necessary if one is interested in investing in crypto, especially if it involves one of the alts like Steem. In the U.S., it involves (1)KYC processes, buying in and keeping your fingers crossed your bank doesn't decide to make you the next example for dabbling in crytpo by closing your account. (2)Then, you have to understand how transferring initial investment (whether it is Bitcoin, Ethereum or Litecoin) to another exchange you must register with and duplicate your security protocols. (3)Then you can now trade for your Steem.
(4)From there, you now must meticulously pay attention yet again to your security protocols as you transfer your Steem from the exchange to your Steem wallet. Four steps which are fraught with anxiety for the average user ( I consider myself one of these users). One misstep and its all gone. Do everything right and things still might go wrong from your bank deciding to be dicks to the exchange deciding they won't give you your coin and there isn't shit you can do about it. Or, some hacker whose been lurking around you in the background laughs to themselves as they swoop in and steal your shit. Or maybe you have your two factor set, but lose your phone through damage or theft. Or get simjacked.
The point is, most have no desire to jump through all of these hoops. I reluctantly did, and really don't relish the idea of doing it more. Here is a video by a guy who travels who has observed that most Americans don't understand, but travelers do as they are used to using exchanges to obtain local currencies.
Just about a month ago, 
https://steemit.com/threespeak/@theycallmedan/cbhxgsfz#@practicalthought/q01rv7
I commented in that post that
If one of the whales was to face the regulations necessary to set up a fiat to Steem pathway, mitigating the risks due to ignorance and human error, it would set a new bar for blockchains. Seems to me that projects are tied to Bitcoin (and to a lesser extent Ethereum and Litecoin) as one has to purchase those first to then trade for the Steem.
Making entry (which was Dan Larimers vision) easier is a huge marketing step. Make it mass friendly and the masses will come.
Dan replied he was looking into ways to setup a fiat to Steem gateway. I hope that he is close to getting the logistics figured out that will appease the regulatory processes. It really seems simple to me that a large part of the lack of investment by masses comes from the difficulty involved in doing so. I wonder at times where the value (demand) for Steem would be if the process for buying it were as easy as purchasing items from Amazon or Ebay, etc? How much erosion would have occurred is debatable as masses typically move in herd like ways. Would we still be viewed as a .40 coin, or 1.00 coin? Not sure, but if it was as easy to buy as ordering a pizza I believe all those small (surely there would be large as well) purchases would ease the weight of supply significantly.
I was reading recently the the SPS funding has been stopped for the moment. Shame it couldn't go towards establishing a fiat to crytpo gateway as a number one priority. Steem has many unique features, and adding such a process to the chain would be yet another real victory for the chain. One that the average person could understand and have a use for.