RE: This is Very Frustrating – Stop Blaming the Whales
You bring up a great point about minnows needing to invest in themselves. I'm not as involved with minnows as you are ( and quite honestly, I don't care to be, not because I'm "too good" or anything, I just have a lot of real world responsibilities). So first, I just want to applaud people who spend a lot of time on here helping minnows, such as yourself.
Back on topic, minnows on steem are from all over the world. If you ignore the demographic whose rewards are a significant source of income, then you are left with a significantly smaller batch of users. This has a lot to do with the fact that many people on here are from countries where their $1 per post rewards could improve their standard of living to a measureable bit.
The next measure we need to look at in terms of active minnows is also age group. Undoubtly, all age groups are on steemit, but I bet the overwhelming majority of minnows are under 35.
Most of them have very little to offer to make steemit a better place.
This is numerically factual because the vast majority of people who have something to give are older, wiser and from countries where they have the ability to learn how to communicate in an effective manner (and this is a site thats built on communication after all).
For this reason, the demographic of younger users on steemit have a lesser understanding about self improvement. Take the case of the following thought test.
If a child (in this case a minnow), is told that they can have 1 ice cream now, or 2 ice creams at some point in the near future, say 2 hours. What do you think the child will decide, and how will you think their choice is reflective of their mentality?
Neither choices are right or wrong, its purely up to the social-ecological circumstances that the child was brought up in.
I could develop a thesis on the behavior of minnows, but to simply put it, steemit needs to have a more mature adult user base before it can growup.
Its facebook circa 2006, drunk beer pong photos and cute little cats, except this place is more like xanga if I had to compare it.
Nonetheless, great point in your blog. Unfortunately, the only cure is time and more users with more to offer and more centralized services.
(senselessly self upvoted for visibility)
I tend to think that if you are cashing out on everything, it makes the platform more like a casino. People will be more likely to write gimmicky click bait trying to make max profits per post.
Everyone has their own circumstance, but to me, there really doesnt seem a point in cashing out if there is not a need.
I mean, I am still a noob and haven't seen more than a couple dollars in a day, it seems that as you get bigger more people pay attention, if only for the influence you carry...
The money factor should at most be kept on the back burner regardless. Unless you are someone well known who makes bank for blurbs.
you are correct, there are many many minnows on steemit where $1 a day has an impact and steemit enables that. Although steemit enables it, it does not mean it is the right thing for the platform and those that do invest in the platform should have some benefit over those that don't. I see it that we do have a benefit and that is people take us more seriously and there is a better chance of the larger (human) votes.
As for the age profile, i was under the opinion it was higher than you suggested. Someone had posted a copy of the Alexa ratings before and it showed the age profile. Just looked Alexa up myself and I need an account to get the extra detail
I tend to look at it from an external/internal point of view. We can benefit from steem if we earn tokens, but what makes us want to earn tokens? Is it the money aspect? Certainly its a massive component. But is there anything else to it?
Id like to see the alexa stats, but id take it with a grain of a salt. I want to know how they come up with that age group data. I tend to think most of the noise on here are younger crowds. In fact, if you ask most people who own crypto, why they own it. They give you a generic answer with no depth. If we take that idea and migrate it to steemit, most people dont know why they are on here other then to make a quick buck.
Even Dan Larimer realized it when he created steemit. When given the tools to self govern, people often make choices that are not the best for the community in the long run. I've invested thousands into this platform and minnows have largely destroyed my investment because of their poor understanding. But that doesnt mean that the platform sucks. It just needs services to lift it out of its current state.
what sort of services do you think we are missing or under servicing?
i could list a lot, but ultimately what it comes down to is to ask
what is the point of a blogging website where all you do is blog and give each other thumbs up or thumbs down?
Sort of a trick question, but the answer is that its functionally useless for the grandier scheme of things. Theres a billion more uses for the blockchain, but the first step is to create value beyond content.
There needs to be more reasons to exchange steem and SBD, to create an economy not just focused on externalizing the rewards (cashing out). If there is an economic incentive to keep the money inside for commerce or other reasons, then people are much more likely to see some functional use, other than talking shit and paying themselves to do it.
if the 1£ can improve their living how will they even invest when to buy one steem is 2.6 dollar?