Steeming the Political Spectrum like a creased shirt

So I posted earlier this morning about my newly found interest in this site and said that I'd be spending some time this morning rummaging through posts. I've slowly sifted through some of the topics highlighted herein and my conclusion is that I've been left in awe. Knowing that this is still in beta phase, I'm utterly astonished at how well the community has developed here in such a short period of time and I assume that's exactly the reason why Steem has moved so quickly to #3 on the Crypto charts.

Now that I've delved in properly and taken a look around, and as users of Steem you already know, it's quite clear that the potential for a blockchain-based Social Media platform is seamlessly limitless. The only problem as far as I can tell, is a sense of uncertainty toward what the future might bring; as with all things Crypto.
In saying that, and in regards to my previous blog post, there is a real potential for this being used as more than just a Social media outlet, and instead should be used more so as a public forum.

I mentioned in my earlier post that I've dreamed of seeing such a digital public forum in which members of the community truly have a voice, with validation being given to those whom post material that the rest of us can live off of. I mentioned it briefly and want to clarify how extremely beneficial to us all this can be, especially in a time where public opinion is either disregarded or reaffirmed purely off of popularity rather than intellectual input; which really irks me in today's digital culture (Socrates would be turning in his grave).

With a platform that gives contributors merit for posting informative material, one can easily imagine using this in their endeavor to better the political spectrum; "a vote for this idea is a vote towards unity." Also, with a decentralized environment, it's already apparent that there's less room for bias when it comes to what's trending; probably my biggest pet hate when it comes to other social media outlets right now. This gives critical theorists a platform on which they can achieve clear consensus towards ideas that help better Social Behaviors.
Now you're probably thinking, "but Tom, won't that cause a division between those who're established and those who are not?", well no. Steem's platform gives only to those whom earn it, and as a lot of you have probably already found out for yourselves, if you ain't got much to say then you ain't getting paid. Therefore, whether you've been here a week, a day, or three minutes, you can very quickly establish yourself as a voice within the community. And that's where the Community comes in...

Already we're seeing that the intellect in this community far outshines that of other Social Networks, appealing far more towards those who actually have something to say and want to say it properly. Now this could be a bad thing for Steem's marketing, however, as a person whom only has time for real conversation I find this extremely attractive. A Public Forum where you're paid for speaking intelligently; an Activists wet dream.
Of course with Politics, we must remember that game theory fuels us, with both friendly and hostile forces always at play.

From what I've gathered, those whom have purchased more "Steem Power" pay out more when casting votes; this, to me, poses a problem and potentially trumps everything I've just said.
It would be a real shame if some Corporate monster were to take advantage of this and sway public opinion (please comment if you know more on this matter). On that note, I feel some precautionary measures should be taken in the future to ensure equality is retained in the forum.

In conclusion, the Political influence that this platform will create, not only on the Steem community but eventually on the internet as a whole, is clear. I feel that given time a collective voice will form here to benefit Society as a whole. That is something we as a community should not take lightly.

edit: edited crypto chart rank.