Steem curation can be displayed as a reflection of the most valuable content according to the shareholders.
The Steem community provides the following services to its members:
- A source of curated news and commentary
This has value for the community, aspiring authors and curators.
I'm not convinced that people influence people's eyeballs by buying Steem, or at least the model by which they can do so has not been clearly explained in the white paper or otherwise. They can influence who gets paid, but that isn't the same thing at all.
There are clear incentives for the community to have a window on what are the best-paid posts and the more Steem someone has, the greater their influence on the platform/pay.
The third principle is that the community produces products to serve its members.
RE: HF21: What Makes Steem Valuable?