Where does Steemit get the money to pay?

One of the most common questions among Steemit members is "where does Steemit get the money to pay?", The truth is that it seems incredible as a social network without advertising or investment by paying its users for the votes it receives. in the comments or post they make.
That is why, personally, after talking to some friends or family about Steemit, they have been very skeptical, since at first glance it may seem impossible.

Question:

So, how is it possible that Steemit can pay ?, Where do you get to pay your thousands of users who do not have to invest to enter and do not handle advertising ?

Answer:

The answer is in the Steem Cryptocurrency, which is a system where users compete to be rewarded when they contribute content and add value to the platform through their post, comments and votes. By performing these actions people obtain chips that have market value and are easily negotiable or exchanged for other cryptocurrencies.

It is similar to how someone playing online poker where a player could get a limited item or currency playing the game. If currency or items are transferable among users, then they can sell or buy them in the gaming market.

At its root, Steem is simply a points system, which is based on blocks, points can be traded in the markets as chips. "People buy and sell these chips", and many keep in anticipation of the increased purchasing power of various services related to Steem. That is why the Steem rises or falls according to the demand that it has at the moment as people acquire it either to undermine or increase their voting power.

That is why we do not earn dollars or other physical currencies but in Steem and in doing so we can exchange it for other virtual currencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin, etc. using platforms such as "Bittrex" or "poloniex".