It's been years since I got on to Steem and Hive platforms. The promise of a uncensorable blogging platform where users get to monetise their own content were the promise....
Hive is a decentralized blockchain-based social media platform that allows users to create and share content, as well as to earn rewards in the form of cryptocurrency. As a decentralized platform, Hive aims to provide its users with more freedom and control over their content, compared to centralized social media platforms.
However, like any other social media platform, Hive is not immune to the issue of censorship, particularly by powerful users. Since Hive is built on a decentralized system, there is no central authority that can control or censor content on the platform. However, some powerful users with a significant amount of influence and stake in the platform can potentially have a disproportionate impact on what content is visible or rewarded.
One of the ways that powerful users can exert their influence on Hive is through their ability to upvote or downvote content. Since upvoted content is more visible and has a higher chance of being rewarded, powerful users can effectively control what content gets attention and what doesn't.
In addition, there have been instances of flag wars on Hive, where users with large amounts of stake downvote and flag content that they disagree with or that they believe is harmful to the platform. While flags are intended to be used to flag content that violates community guidelines, they can also be used as a tool for censorship by powerful users.
To mitigate the impact of powerful users on content visibility and rewards, Hive has implemented a system of curation trails and community-based initiatives, such as Hive DAO. These initiatives aim to provide a more decentralized and community-driven approach to content curation and governance, thereby reducing the influence of any individual or group of powerful users.
Overall, while censorship on Hive by powerful users is a concern, the platform's decentralized nature and community-based initiatives provide a level of protection against such actions.
