Welcome to Steem! Taking a look around here it seems that the content here is a bit off. Does anybody wonder why that is? I think I know why and it's built into the platform itself. Let's see if I can lay it out in a way that makes sense.
Making money isn't a bad thing. If you think it's bad, then you probably haven't been paying attention to the point of Steemit and Steem. I'm here to make money. Come on, admit it. You are too. Maybe there are a few altruists and some that want a platform with something different, but that's not what made me try it.
I like markets and capitalism. They have a way of providing for all of the wonderful needs and wants that all of us enjoy in the modern era. The invisible hand, some call it. It brought us smartphones and Ferraris, McDonalds and yoga pants.
There is some things that pure capitalism can't do and I'm witnessing it here on Steemit. One of such is to speak ones mind without consequenses. This may sound odd, but let me explain.
If anyone here has ever worked for a company (I'm guessing most of us) then we know that speaking our mind to a customer isn't encouraged. To do, say, a food service job, we must hold our tongue when a customer treats us badly or makes a mess. We can't tell the customer; "You smell badly" or even something as simple as "I think you're wrong". 'The customer is always right' is a phrase I've heard since I was a child. In general, it's true; if you want to keep your customers, a business must make them happy, or at least not make them angry. This is where Steemit gets complicated.
You see, we are all selling our posts to the customer. You are the customer. On a platform like Reddit, I can post nice content or give valid criticism. Here, I must sell my ideas to all of you.
I can't give my real opinion for fear of losing your business. I also have to give an opinion you find acceptable if I want you to read what I write. I can't post something about my interests. If I do, it has to be something that many people find valuable. This isn't bad. The greatest value gives the greatest good, in my opinion. But, to put it bluntly, I'm not free to tell all of you to fuck off.
What if I posted something that 90% of people disagreed with but was absolutely true? Do you think I would make any Steem? It could be something valuable to your life, like information about your health. If there is a bias, there is no motive to post continuously about it. I would lose- or never gain -any customers.
What if I were to disagree with people here? Do you think that they will be benevolent and give me Steem by voting for it? I think not. Very few will. Most won't. It doesn't matter if I'm right, it matters if I'm popular. The content suffers because of this.
Lets put it another way. Everyone sees the trending posts when they come here. I haven't done a formal count, but about half of them are meta posts about how to make more Steem. This is valuable information if your job is Steem, but it doesn't help to give a different perspective than a common advertiser. Let's face it: these are no better than advertisements for how to use this "one weird trick!" to make you rich.
It's very tempting. You come in to Steem and see a post with something like $10,000 Steem on it. We all want the big bucks, right? Who wouldn't look at that and think; "I wonder how I could do that.". So, for many people, instead of sharing something interesting it becomes like a job.
The profit motive is good for the front page, but what about everybody chasing that Steem by posting what they think will get them rich? Well, take a look at the new posts and tell me.
Anyone who has been here for longer than a day has heard about the bots. You can see them in all of the most popular posts. They're a symptom of the same profit motive that causes the meta posts and rent-seeking.
Once again, I love the profit motive for creating new and exciting technologies. On the other hand, it creates a stronger motive for making bots than it does for suppressing them as community members. The thing is, I don't know how to solve this one short of paying bounties for flagging bots, but this opens a new can of worms for abuse.
So, it seems we are stuck with the bots for now. Some even find them valuable at times. I don't have a problem with them really. They seem innocuous for the time being.
The use of flashy pictures and memes are a way to get attention to a post. I plan on putting at least one in so somebody besides the bots will read it. From a pure content perspective, it wouldn't make what I'm writing better or worse. It's a way to get views; a means to an end. I want people to read this and (if I'm worthy) to get some of that sweet Steem. So, I'll put a picture in. Probably a satirical one with something bright and shiny.
Yeah.
Has anyone noticed that most posts look like those articles that pose as advertisements? I have. I noticed when I was writing my own ad. I felt like a salesman trying to sell my new idea for the low, low price of $29.95. But you know what? I did it anyways. So much for sleaze.
Lets see if I can make myself into the first Steem pariah, shall we? Who knows? Maybe you'll all love me for my honesty.
If the rest of the internet is any indication I'll be hated by most, loved by the outcasts. I don't want to be 4chan, but I don't want to be a human billboard, either.
I think I'll balance it out until I either break big or lose interest. What, you think I'm being greedy? I promise you, this is what's going to happen to most people if the profit motive rules here. Who would stay in a place where there's little love and no motivation to tell the customer to fuck off?
I don't mind going to work, but I wouldn't want to relax there, surrounded by co-workers and customers alike. It would be like taking your boss out to a frat party or inviting a customer to smoke a joint behind the dumpster. It happens, but it's not common.
Sorry. I'm not sure where that came from.
