It is not optimistic indeed.
I started a dpoll and I think the answers given are clear. Most are here for the high income promised, many left, a group is lazy and likes free giveaways but not writing, most people say they give enough if they give you an upvote and they power up.

After the latest HF a lot changed.
They say the share author - curator is 50-50% but that is not true.

If you earn less as 20 steem for your post you are considered by new steem as a bad author and write bad content + you get less as the 50% promised!

If you make 20 Steem or more you get more.
The most loyal Steemians those who invest daily, are downvoted and hardly earn. Many left.

This is not really a social platform no matter how hard some of us try to engage, comment, reward with contests and use the commentcoin.