"Change is coming. Always. Don't get too comfortable."

I think this article is spot on. It's not just the Steem eco-system that is changing, but everything.

Increased automation is wiping out some jobs, and creating other jobs, particularly for techies with programming skills. Amazon and online are ravaging the high street, with most businesses feeling the pinch.

Under threat are all jobs that can be automated, and now, as a consequence of Blockchain, all jobs that are the essence of centralized control.

Growth areas are software designers, techies, and more than ever, the jobs that require human connection, like care workers to interact with an aging population, doctors and nurses, and all things that come with a real smile, which machines still can't quite fake.

Notably, Steem is a leader in both growth areas, in that:

(1) Being a decentralized Blockchain, it is the essence of a decentralized tokenized future, that cuts out manipulative middlemen; and
(2) Being a place where human beings create connections, it is necessary in a way that must survive automation. Humans will always need to connect.

The problems for Steem are twofold:

(1) It's so early to the game that mass adoption is still in the future; and
(2) It is still in beta, whereby the incentives that could make it dominant, in a field that inevitably will be world-crushingly massive, have not yet been refined enough to ensure that it won't be overtaken by rivals.

However, the fact that mass adoption is still in the future gives Steem time. It's difficult here, but when the future does arrive, the folks here will spot it far quicker than the general population, who are in slumber.

Whether or not Steem ends up the market dominator, Steemians know where they need to be, even if it is in two places at once. Relationships here can translate to multiple platforms if necessary, as long as we are ready for change.

Keep your eyes open, adapt, figure out what behaviors trigger platform growth, and the people who survive this tough early pre-adoption phase will be oh so ready when the time comes. :)