Steemit Will Always Be Decentralized: Briggsy's Unfiltered Thoughts #2
Preamble
This is a topic I have a lot of interest in, because it seems that no matter how set we are on having a decentralized platform, I get the feeling that some people will always have a certain level of centralization they are comfortable with, and that level may not always be in agreement with other people's level of comfort.
Let me know what you think about the topic. I'm only presenting my thoughts, don't be afraid to share yours. After all, this platform is decentralized and nobody can dictate what is acceptable or not an acceptable opinion, they can only ignore, and in serious cases flag something that might be extremely offensive and even illegal or hateful.
The above picture is how I imagine Jamie Dimon sees decentralization. I'm probably wrong, but it seems fitting. In our reality, this picture defies physics as well as our sense of direction.
The optical illusion makes our mind uncomfortable on some level because it doesn't fit in our perception of what is possible. But that's only because we are bound by the rules of the physical world. Insert this drawing into a 3D video game environment, and our mind can then accept the impossible as possible because we as humans adapt to new environments very quickly.
When it comes to comfort levels, one can find this concept alive in many walks of life, not just on the topic of decentralization.
We human beings have an instinct to mold our environments to suite our level of comfort. Don't like the forest? flatten it and pave it over. Don't like the water? build a bridge.
We are great at overcoming obstacles in our environment, as well as within ourselves.
We can't fly, but we can build flying machines. We aren't 1000 feet tall, but we can build buildings even taller. We can't regulate our body temperature very well outside of the Equatorial climate we originated from on earth, so we make warm clothes, insulate our homes, and create artificial heat. This is true for just about any area on land where most reptiles can't live.
One of the other ways in which we find varying levels of comfort, is in rule and authority.
Some people are natural born leaders, who understand that authority and responsibility are one and the same, where they are to lead by example in a positive and levelheaded manner, and not abuse their power with irresponsible acts and selfish impulses. A good leader doesn't dictate, but rather delegates authority to others able to handle responsibility (which is why promotions and leadership roles in the workplace can make or break a company from the inside out).
However, some people are wannabe leaders - not understanding that power and control are a sacred position meant to be held by those who reluctantly accept the responsibility with the care that is required - to hold the life of others in your hands as if it was your own life on the line, regardless of whether they share your beliefs or level of comfort. A bad leader believes that people in their care should be molded to make life comfortable, not for the people - but for the leader's comfort. This is always an early flag to watch for to spot a wannabe leader: They want you to conform in ways that are unnecessary for them to lead properly - like the owner of a supermarket telling employees they aren't allowed to have a facebook account, or not allowed to shop in another grocery store.
But all of us have varying positions in life we are comfortable with, and it is good to remember that not everyone will behave in a manner that we find comfortable or even acceptable. There are exceptions of course, like someone who offends everyone (like an internet troll). Unfortunately for them, their level of comfort is offensive and uncomfortable, possibly even damaging to the reputation of a community, and therefore they need to be dealt with if the need arises.
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In a community like Steemit, you just click the ignore button and move on. "Moderators" can deal with more important things like plagiarism or sh*tpost spamming, which is a real problem that requires some level of action to be taken if it's really bad. But moderators are not walking around with ban-hammers and abusing their responsibility. On Steemit they aren't really moderators, because they aren't selected for their role, they simply take up the torch to make the platform a better place for the rest of us. There are rules in the external world (like plagiarism or hate speech) that can have adverse effects on the community as a whole, even bringing legal or political attention. But this isn't facebook or reddit. You are not being censored here for having an opinion; that goes against the entire spirit of decentralization. If your goal is to offend everyone - you will be ignored, flagged, and forgotten.
I believe we all have an idea what decentralization implies, but to what extent? does it mean total and complete chaos? Obviously not, because in 9 years Bitcoin has proven that a system can be regulated by thousands of unknown entities and function fairly well without any central authority, even defying all the rules of the system we though we were bound by. Block chain technology has been and continues to be a social experiment on an order of magnitude never seen before, where every person in the world with internet access can participate, without restriction or impediment - at least anywhere that central authority does not claim jurisdiction (Ahem... Chinese bitcoin exchanges).
But on a social level, we are so used to molding our environment around structures of centralized authority, that when presented with an opportunity to exist in a virtual environment that is built on the premise that no person can exact their personal will, beliefs or morals on you or the system, we collectively become a herd of homeless people lining up on the longest street in the world, telling stories or playing show and tell with each other for some spare change, in the hope of growing and expanding the number of other virtual homeless bums we can interact with.
Some of us work towards that end so we can then lift others up with bigger and bigger amounts of steem power, while there are some who spend their time walking up and down the street looking at everyone else's bindle of coins, attempting to dictate who deserves their coins and who doesn't, even going as far as to try and start witch hunts to root out and destroy anyone that does not conform to their level of comfort - like some goose stepping wannabe leader, demanding the rest of the world be more centralized and conform to their comfort level.
Sorry pal, this isn't the platform for that. Maybe try dictatorship.
In a decentralized system, there does not need to be any individual sending around surveys asking if someone should be flagged or ignored, as this leads to the previous point about the goose stepping wannabe, trying to form mobs to go after individuals that make them uncomfortable. If someone is bad enough to warrant everyone's hate, they will attract it without the torches and pitchforks.
I believe this is where the rubber hits the road with Steemit. People are attracted to the platform because it offers real monetary reward; not for sh*tposting or being lazy, but for the work that normally advertisers and platform shareholders get paid for, and not the authors or readers.
But once someone comes to Steemit, they are met with so many other benefits. For example: being able to post a photo you took, and because it is stored forever in the blockchain, you can prove that you uploaded that photo first if someone else tries to steal it or make money from it. It is yours, and it cannot be debated. This, and many other advantages of Steemit put the power back in the hands of the creative minds, and out of those who love to tell others what they can or cannot do. The system takes care of itself, and takes care of the outliers that just don't fit.
But money is always a contentious topic, because at the end of the day there will always be those who despise others who secure their own wealth. Call them socialists or hippies (or whatever derogatory term the kids use these days), but they are generally young in age, and have yet to face or understand the fact that in this life we all have people we are responsible for, and wealth is a way of securing our ability to take care of others.
While some on this platform may literally only ever upvote themselves, that is their business. The platform enables this, and there is literally no way of stopping it without a lot (and I mean a lot) of effort that would end up centralizing the platform and ruining it for everyone. But that won't happen anyway, because it too is against the spirit of decentralization.
If I decide to upvote my own post because I put a lot of work into it, but it didn't get any exposure, that's my right to do so. I only have seven days to make that choice. For me, I generally wait for 2 or 3 days before doing so, just because I don't want to ruin curation reward for someone else, but also because afterwards I can boost the earnings of those who curated my post. While I wish getting exposure in this site was easier, unfortunately it is extremely difficult without resorting to self promotion and self employment.
But I've rambled on for long enough. Do I think Steemit needs to change? maybe a little, especially for those new to the platform. But rules and micromanaging the systems is also averse to what Steemit represents. And what is that? In my opinion Steemit represents human social interaction unfettered, for better or for worse.
A block chain will swing in the favor of the majority or of the favor of people with more power (steem power) so less people can swing the pendulum it in their favor. It is what it is. The integrity of the block chain depends on the assumption that majority of people are good and want to do good!
What you say is True.
The beauty of this platform for me is that one can cash out and go to a better one if Steemit becomes too inhospitable or the majority forces people to fit into too confined of an environment. Much like youtube is bleeding those who used to benefit from creating on that platform, but can no longer. When there is a need, there will be someone to build something better, I believe. The creativity that is poured into Steemit ultimately feeds the platform, otherwise the hype is gone and the value of steem/steem dollars drop to nothing.