Bots, Rewards Abuse, Spam, Plagiarism—They Aren't The Problem

Human Nature Is

It is human nature that causes a reward system—one which could stand an overhaul nonetheless—to malfunction from its stated purpose—reward original, high quality content.

_{Image Source}

It is human nature that has led to the creation of every bot conceivable—from Steemit's inception—to do what a human user finds too difficult or nigh impossible to do alone (on one end you have users solely with the desire to just get a post seen and eventually rewarded—on the other end, you have those intentionally and habitually abusing the reward pool).

It is human nature that leads to spam and plagiarism (most of social media outside of Steemit is like this so it carries over, and then, if the content on Steemit isn't regularly seen or rewarded, why bother with originality or quality?). A higher frequency of posts aided by vote and resteem bots becomes a way to overcome what is actually an issue of visibility, not a lack of originality or quality.

It is human nature that leads to reward abuse. There is a greed factor, but there is also the attitude of "get as much as you can for as long as you can," because nothing lasts forever. If the current system changes significantly (each Hard Fork brings that possibility) it could take time to figure out how to make it work again.

It is human nature to justify all of this with, "It's the way it is," or "Everyone does it," or "It's just a game."

It is human nature to take for granted what is given to us for free. The STEEM blockchain is the greatest vehicle for freedom since the U.S. Constitution, with the potential to become the greatest instrument ever for all people and all freedoms—economic, regulatory, societal, you name it. Yet, it gets treated like an ATM filled with monopoly money.

And therein lies the Catch-22, or the Bill & Ted conundrum. Everyone wants STEEM to become a serious, stable digital currency. Well, you can't have a serious, stable digital currency until people treat it like a serious, stable digital currency. But you won't have people treating it as a serious, stable digital currency, apparently, until it is a serious stable digital currency.

So, how in the world is that supposed to happen?

The next Hard Fork could come along and make everything I just wrote a moot point. If it actually overcomes all the human nature running rampant on this platform, it can't come soon enough.

However, wouldn't it be better if it came from us? Wouldn't it be better if we were the change we're looking for? (Not my words, but I think they apply).

As strong as human nature is, I believe human will is stronger. Leopards can't change their spots, but people can change their ways. I'm not saying it's always easy, nor am I saying it will be instant. I'm saying it's possible. However, it's not going to be possible if no one thinks it is, or if no one tries.

So, I'm trying. I know I'm not the only one, and I'm not the first. I've already read some of those posts, so I know it's been going around for some time. There are already individuals and groups coming together to help and support one another, even if it is the harder, longer way.

I can't make anyone do anything, so if you did actually manage to come across this post, decided to read it, and you find yourself agreeing with anything I've said, then it's up to you to determine what you're going to do about it.

And I'm not faulting anyone for anything they're trying to do to make Steemit work for them. How could I? There really aren't any rules here. Those who think there are, and then seek to impose their will on others are more a part of the greater problem as they might be the solution for the smaller one.

You can't abandon the foundational principles of Steemit to save the principles of Steemit. That's what the outside world does, and you know what, it doesn't work there.

I can't see how it will work here, either.