It's getting harder to earn on Steemit as it grows. It can be dispiriting to see a 'chosen few' get most of the money and that will drive some to desperate measures. But the fact is that most of us won't make anything on sites like Youtube, but we can make something here. It depends on whether others choose to give you votes. That can be because they know you, but you really need to be producing content that others value. Not everyone will be a big content producers, but even the fans can make something here. It may just be cents, but maybe there will be ways to spend that. With zero transfer fees micropayments are viable.