INFLUENCING INTERACTION - A FEW PROS AND CONS ABOUT HOW THE BLOCKCHAIN AND POTENTIAL PAYOUTS INFLUENCE USERS
In all of my time on steemit, I have noticed some interesting things…
Please note that this post is purposed to share a general observation. No one person or group of individuals are the subject(s) here. I write this in no direct response to anything or anyone. I am simply sharing some food for thought, based upon general observations.
That said, I believe that some very interesting things result from having our community interact in a system where potential payouts are a possibility and everything is documented on the blockchain. There are most likely many more variables which I will not cover here, but I wanted to share two simple pros and one con.
PRO 1: MONEY!
Of course earning money is a pro, and many of us have at least some interest in doing so on steemit. However, as it relates to out interaction with one another, money actually keeps things a little more “in check” than they would be otherwise.
I once had seen a comment about how nice and helpful steemians were. The reply to that comment raised the question, “Isn’t that because people want to earn money here?” (Or something similar).
This is true, at least to a degree. Here on steemit, just like in “the real world,” we have the freedom to say whatever we want and interact however we see fit. Still, actions have consequences. If a steemian chooses to interact disrespectfully with others and basically “be a jerk” then there is a chance that they will be getting less upvotes and therefore earning less. If someone wants to attract more followers and more upvotes, perhaps being kind, encouraging, complimentary, and helpful is a better route to take.
To a certain degree then, the potential money to be earned here has a positive effect on the way that we interact with one another.
PRO 2: THE BLOCKCHAIN!
Another aspect of steemit that can have a positive effect on our interaction together is the fact that what we comment and post is forever documented on the blockchain. This may not matter as much for anonymous accounts, but for the accounts of users that are not anonymous and are in some way tied to our actual identity, this can have an effect on how we interact.
Even though comments and posts can be edited, there is still a record of what the original post was. If I have a bad day and want to vent, perhaps a steemit post is not the best place to do so. Also, if another uses rubs me the wrong way and I want to have a foul argument with them, I may want to think twice about doing so.
This does not negate our freedom to exercise the possibilities available in an uncensored medium nor does it prevent users from choosing to document some things on the blockchain that may not exactly wise to do. However, it does encourage some people to think more before they post.
CON: MONEY!
Yes, I fully realize that I also cited money as a pro, but there is a downside as well. Though the potential money to be earned may have a positive effect on the way that some users interact, it has also been the root cause of many negative things that have happened on steemit.
You see, when some people earn more than others, those who earn less may feel jealous. I believe that this is one reason that @dan posted about “fairness.” In reality, there is no “fairness” anywhere. But, when you combine people’s imaginations of what “fair” should look like with their own selfishness and entitlement mentality, it can be disastrous.
Jealousy may not always be the easiest to spot. Many times an “attack” will be made and another reason will be claimed. However, when you read the comment and the issue of money keeps coming up, it is highly likely that jealousy is the root cause of the confrontation. (Again, none of this is written in response to any specific individual or situation.)
To make matters worse, I have actually seen people claim that certain actions are wrong because of how they negatively affect the money available to others. Then, in the next breath, they mention how they wish that they could do that and earn money like the one that they are accusing. If something is wrong, then it’s wrong. Getting paid for it doesn’t make it right.
Hopefully as time goes on, the community and the value of STEEM will continue to grow. Then, perhaps there will be a little more to go around and people will not have to be jealous of others.
REFLECTION TIME
*Has the way your interaction could affect your potential payouts ever influenced what you have said on steemit, or how you have said it? It has for me.
*Has the fact that what you post and comment is going to be documented on the blockchain ever influenced what you post or how you post it? It has for me.
*Have you ever been jealous of the amount of money that others are making on steemit? I know that @papa-pepper makes much more than most users on steemit, but I’ve still been tempted to be jealous. Others can make much more than @papa-pepper with much fewer posts, so there is room for jealousy to tempt me too. It’s best not to allow that feeling to grow or embitter you though.
However you have answered, or avoided, those questions, I think that steemit still has a lot more to offer than other online sites.
”Don’t waste your time on social media, invest it at steemit.com”
Did you come up with the ending quote?
I was wondering the same thing. I love it!
Good to hear. I was going to run a little slogan campaign and develop it a bit.
I am very bad at slogans, but maybe you can make a better one out of it:
Why waste your time making money for facebook when you can waste your time making money for yourself?
Or the other way:
Waste time making money instead of wasting time making money for facebook.
That second one is awesome!
Was considering doing a slogan campaign.
For some people it may seem too good to be true, that their social media can yield actual value. I like the idea of a slogan campaign, and that quote is a great introduction to the concept of investing time in Steemit. Feel free to contact me if you feel I can help somehow, info on my blog. :)
Cool. Thanks and followed!
I had help, but yeah!
Answer to first question: No. For the most part, I'm an entertainer. It's my job to say stupid things. I enjoy it. When I take a break from it, people enjoy seeing that side of me as well. My stuff encourages people to loosen up and have a good time. People don't have to put on an act or be on their so called best behavior when they come to visit. They don't seem to care that I'm still in my pajamas and the house is messy.
Second question: Nope. Everybody poops. I stay out of the drama, because it's not my fight. I do that in life as well.
Third question: Jealous? I write all my own stuff and produce my own art. People are jealous of me :) Haters gonna hate!
Wise answers my friend.
Jealousy is a part of human nature and we will all succumb to it from time to time. Rewarding of users on steemit is going to be disproportional, those people who have been around for a long time will likely have an easier time earning then newer users because of the network effect. Steemit is really a miniature example of the real world and much of the time the real world is not fair.
We must all make an effort to not be jealous of others rewards, but should also realize that as humans, we will fail at that sometimes. I know that I fail at that sometimes. Hopefully we can each make up for our own failures in this regard, by trying in our own way to help our fellow steemians get rewarded for their own efforts here.
Very well said @justtryme90!
Every now and again something worthwhile comes out of my mouth. :D
Cheers mate.
Cheers!
I think the proposed linear voting will help ease some of the jealously. Hopefully, at least.
Hopefully things will help. I'm just impressed that any of us can make anything doing this!
I have just one rule. The internet never forgets.
So, whether I post or comment, I just remember that rule.
That is a good rule @ace108!
I loved your post @papa-pepper 😁 Im new here on Steemit but I've noticed those things that you mentioned, like people being jealous of others, but we all should definitely strive to be better than that, we will all be happier and feel better about ourselves if we can just be happy for other people's sucess instead of comparing ourselves with others.
Be better than that.... great idea @mariacherries!
Great post ! I also love your slogan at the end ! 👍👍👍
People seem to like that slogan! Thanks!
😊👍
First of all I also love your slogan that is now at the end of your posts.
On the matter of money being a negative thing I have made similar observations. In fact I have felt guilty a few times about doing too well on this platform.
When the whale flagging started I was actually relieved to get some down votes in order to bring down the value of some of my posts.
I realise that it is in all of our best interests if many succeed and it is my sincere hope that many do.
Great article @papa-pepper!
That's part of why we give back so much, to share from our increase. Thanks @kus-knee.
Hi @papa-pepper, important questions! For me, the blockchain nature hasn't caused me to edit myself since I'm not the type to lash out much on social media nor has the potential to earn caused me to edit myself. But I will admit that I was tempted to make a rage post when I was downvoted because my rewards were too high. While I didn't really care about the money since it was worth so little at a time, the downvoting for this reason took my reputation down 3 points. This really really felt so unfair since a reputation takes so long to build up and never once previously had I received a downvote in 7 months of regular posting. Anyway, thanks for asking good questions!
Wow. Though it didn't affect my rep, the whale downvotes I received didn't make me feel too good either.
It's good not to be the type to lash out, keep that up!
glad your rep wasn't affected! And regardless, downvoting is very bad for morale when you're posting good content that takes 4 hours or more to compile! Anyway thanks for the reply and encouragement :-)
Jealous? No. As a new user, I would say that I am intrigued, inspired and occasionally confused. I have found that although there are diverse interests and opinions, the community is generally very supportive and friendly. That's the best of both worlds, but seems to be a rare thing these days. So as much as I am interested in learning and earning through Steemit, it's really the unique community that I enjoy the most.
Great observation, nice honesty, and well said @redhens!