RE: Steemit, Seinfeld and Success: "Quality Content" and a Show About Nothing
I agree with you that people should be allowed to post whatever they want on here (within the confines of the law). That being said, I think you vastly over-estimate people's ability to separate the money from the emotion. At least personally, it is extremely frustrating to me to see a post that simply says "Today I will have a grilled cheese for lunch" get four hundred times the payout as a post I spent 3 hours on. I don't mind, per se, that someone has posted that. What I mind is that they are getting rewarded for their stake in the platform and their social network through the same mechanism that rewards me for the times when I produce a post of sufficient quality.
Let me put a different way using one of my favorite things: an analogy.
Robert Denham is a name I would bet a STEEM you have never heard of. He is a former board member of the company Chevron, and also its second largest single shareholder. Now, Chevron pays a dividend on it's shares. A pretty nice one, too, over $4 a year. So for doing absolutely nothing, Mr. Denham is pocketing hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars a year thanks to his stake in Chevron.
Imagine if Mr. Denham worked out a deal where instead of dividends, he could go to the local Chevron gas station, pour himself a Slurpee, take one sip, and then hurl it against the window. Then the cashier would then open the drawer and hand over $500 and Mr. Denham would leave the store and carry on with his day.
Can you imagine how frustrating that would be for the cashier? This guy is making less than $9 an hour, and yet this other fella gets to walk in, act like an idiot for 2 minutes, contribute nothing of value to the store or the company, and leave with more cash in his pocket than the cashier brings home in a week.
When I look at Steemit, I see this play out every. single. day.
And I try not to let it bother me, but it does.
So, quit complaining and make a suggestion? OK, here it goes:
Mask the dollar amounts that each post has earned. You can still see the number of upvotes, but you can no longer see the payout.
It's a simple fix that I think would go a long way towards fixing some of the frustration that I think people here feel when they perceive a lack of "quality content." I can only speak for myself, but it's not the lack of quality that bothers me: it's the rewards that this crap can pull down. Post whatever the heck you want. Just don't rub it in my face that you're making more in 2 minutes that I can make in 2 hours.
/rant
@dollarsandsense, you can have my meager upvote for your very fine rant! I realize that may be cold comfort, but still...
If you look at @jsantana's response below, it's reflective of what a lot of us who got here "early" feel — and have felt — for a while.
Your frustrations and your excellent analogy are well taken, and I don't have a whole lot to add... except maybe this:
I think there was a lot of idealistic notions behind the creation of Steemit, and I think the outcome we're seeing is the result of the simple reality that human nature is everywhere. So how we have this odd dichotomy here... two "factions," if you will... "content creators" and "money harvesters." And they come at doing things here from very different angles.
What you're proposing — making the post payout — is actually an idea that has been floated several times, and has generally landed on the floor with a resounding THUD. The primary argument being that showing earnings and having "transparency" is an essential tool in getting new members to join. I do agree with that — in theory — but looking back across our brief history, it's also increasingly evident that when you promote Steemit to others on the premise of "earning money," then you end up with a bunch of people whose primary objective — tada! — is to earn money.
Well, DUH! Marketing 101...
The wealth distribution issue continues to be an issue, and it is (rightfully!) argued that Steemit needs investors. Sure. Yes, of course! But where the heck did the powers that be get this idea that the only "worthwhile" investors are giant whales, ready to plop down $5Mn to get involved? Why not encourage 10K people to invest $5K each, instead? That would have created a far more equitable distribution.
But that's my own particular hobby horse, and I'll refrain from rolling it out there.
Thanks again for a thoughtful comment!
Your generosity is always greatly appreciated! Although you know I'd still come here even if your upvote were worth the same as mine :)
Now that I'm calmed down from yesterday, I read through your reply and through the other one you reference. I can see what you're talking about quite clearly, and it makes perfect sense. It's really only human nature.
I'm not sure if I've shared one of my favorite phrases with you before in your comments threads, but the concept of "rent-seeking behavior" plays out all over the place in our modern economy (and really in most economies over the years, come to think of it!). I see it's little different on Steemit. The idea, if you're unfamiliar, is that rent-seeking is an attempt to
So this has been around for ages, and I agree it's not surprise to find it here.
Interesting that you say my proposal has been repeatedly presented and shot down. I am pretty new around here (4 months here shortly), so I'm not familiar with much of the history or the "lore" of this place. I will say this, though. As someone signing up this year, the possibility of making large sums of money was actually not what attracted me to the site. I think attracting the right kind of individual is key, but then again, I'm not claiming to be incorruptible. Maybe one day "it" will get to me too and you'll see me cranking out garbage after figuring out a way to profit off it :P But I agree some care has to be made to portray this site for what it is. Only the most naive people think they can jump on YouTube and start making thousands of dollars a month. It needs to be the same here. And I guess you still have the same dynamic even on YouTube, where some of the longest tenured creators are putting out ridiculous content (look up Jake Paul controversy if you want to see what I'm talking about) and they still manage to pull in tons of cash in spite of it. So I guess it's not surprise that the grass isn't any greener elsewhere.
Kudos to you for staying true to yourself and continuing to put out thoughtful and interesting posts each day.