I think in Scandinavia, part of it has to do with a culture that's raised on the understanding that "we" is more important than "me," and that when we have integrity in our dealings with the "we" (society, the community) it automatically comes back and is of benefit to the "me" in the equation.

Steemit is still a very new, so there are many kinks still being worked out... although I think the originators of the platform probably underestimated the sheer GREED of many human beings.