Steemit... An Oligarchy Using The Application Of A Trickle Up Economy (curating from the poor to give to the wealthy)?
And since it seems the most popular and profitable posts on steemit are those about steem and it's cryptocurrency-based social system, I thought to myself,
"Yes, let's talk about steemit! Maybe even pick up a little STEEM!".
The title of this article can not be denied and stands true. While the exact opposite is not only achievable yet also exists within this system they have built via little pockets of Networks of resistance existing all on their own within (managing to fly under the radar of any malicious users or attacks).
However....
This system IS an Oligarchy. This is not a hidden fact, support of this can be found just about anywhere.
Obviously those willing to invest in it WILL and SHOULD be given some sort of advantage over those who do not.
That being said I really do enjoy the basis of this platform. There are a lot of good people doing good things here.
Yet it still can not be denied... it's rigged, not just rigged yet also skewed. Skewed to favor the developers and those who invest a lot of money into it - an Oligarchy. If only they (the Developers and Owners) would put in protections against bots making tons of profit for the benefit of one (the master of those bots, those bots which auto-flag and auto-upvote) and to protect against self-upvoting and flagging abuse. Until then, it is completely designed to trickle wealth from those who have little upward towards those who already have a lot (and those who have the technical know-how and hardware to have bots do it for them). Sometimes not even a trickle but more of a torrent.
Personally, with the way things are configured today (sure to be changed tomorrow, for the better or worse is yet to be determined) this system will serve to only chase away new investors.
Sure, tons will join daily - investing only their email, phone number, and time/content. Yet the days of people pumping tons of their own money into it are most likely over (that is, to say; only those with the intend of screwing over as many little fish as they can while habitually self-upvoting themselves will be the ones investing hard cash into this Oligarchy).
The system of "flag other's content to return potential payouts to the rewards pool, then self-upvote to confiscate said rewards" IS being viewed more and more as not only a form of censorship yet also as an economy designed to take from the "poor" to give to the "rich".
I personally think @dan and @ned are well aware of this. Not only well aware yet also purposefully intended.
If they do not configure things to prevent bots from raping the system, to prevent those who already have a lot from abusing those who have little, I foresee this system suffering a slow and horrible death - much as someone with a flesh-eating bacteria would suffer as one's being is being eaten away little by little.
Yet IF one begins to comprehend the advantages of using this system ethically and morally for profit versus the profit potential of abusing this same system (to the point of bordering upon or even crossing legal lines), the agenda and motivations soon become very clear.
Is it legal? Probably, so long as somewhere it is written it's all a game and any lose is solely that of the user and in no way can the developers be held accountable for blah blah blah. Yet then again, if I engineer a situation that has you signing something that says I get to stick a pencil in your eye any time I want this does not mean I get to stick a pencil in your eye without any legal (or mob) justice.
And the White Papers are extremely specific in expressing the ability to abuse this system as purposeful and encouraged.
I predict now steemit.com will come to a horrible and fiery death (and most likely sooner than later, within 6 months to a year) if they do not address and reconfigure some of these issues. But do they even really care enough any more? I see them posting with "Payout Declined". Aside from this, really just an act to step aside while other Whales raid the rewards pool with their flag/self-upvote/bot Networks, it appears only a vague defence of the White Papers seems to stand as their course of action for the time being.
People, in mass, are beginning to realize the game is rigged. There are too many newcomers not willing to invest their real money into a system designed for those who are already wealthy enough to simply take most everything for themselves (leaving only scraps for us little fish to fight over).
I have already chosen to begin the process of subtly warning others here on steemit (not that anyone can see it, the "censorship free" platform has allowed 3 people to destroy my Reputation and obscurely hide my content... that's not censorship at all, it is a clear consensus of the entire community that my content sucks and my Rep should be worthless all based on the opinions of 3 people.... yeah, that's fair and balanced and just and "censor free"... YEAH, RIGHT ! Of course, I could invest my money into it and buy my Reputation and Visibility back.... [insert evil laugh here]).
As well, I am actively warning others on other platforms whenever and wherever I can.
If certain Whales want to continue to live in denial (and "not censor" my content and Reputation by means of their flags), believing the "White Papers" express fair and equal use to all users free of censorship... let them live in denial within the lies they have constructed here. Soon they will only have each other to argue with while attempting to defraud one another of their financial gods (money).
In the meantime, I am grateful for those Whales minding their community and doinitright. Not only do I have empathy for those who are choosing to use their power potential to battle the malicious ones yet also have compassion for their efforts. The power they use to defend and protect all of us is power they could be using to promote others and profit themselves in the process.
Argue with me until the chickens come home to roost.... it does not change the FACTS abuse and the encouragement of said abuse is configured into the system for the specific purpose of what I speak.
Will the rumors of an upcoming "Communities" section curb these abuses and the encouragement of use of? Time will tell, if it doesn't come crashing to the ground first.
Or it could be some grand social A.I. experiment funded by some shady three letter acronym for the purpose of data mining (all this info we publicly share, all these photos to identify and categorize in databases somewhere....).... But that's a whole other post all together, requiring a completely fresh set of eyes and a lot more research and investigation. And who's got time for that?
THANK YOU!
You can see how much support you are gonna get from the crapitalusts, they do not give a damn.
@Dan may have conceived steem as freeing folks from oppression, but then he sold enough stake to lose control and was ousted in favor of the crapitalusts reaping everything while they still can.
Profit now!
It's pretty obvious, and has been from the start, once the new wears off for the users the inherent unfairness of the code is exposed.
I haven't seen any that deny that.
Did we really believe that the crapitalusts were going to free us from our chains?
A very good point of view, something I had happened to over-look. I sure hope other users pipe in with their point of view or thoughts as you have, an educational experience.
:)
No matter the past, at present is what really has me concerned. And looking forward to examining any new changes on any upcoming forks sure to come to the platform (should I, or it for that matter, survive here long enough).
Thank You for you input!
I don't think Steemit is going anywhere anytime soon, just too many folks invested in it's continuation, myself included.
Stinc is going to screw it up some more, but in a generally good direction, I hope.
They are just practicing the best crapitalism they know how.
At least now we get some rewards, if not at the full latte level.
This post has received a sweet gift of Dank Amps in the flavor of 6.20 % upvote from @lovejuice thanks to: @sornprar. Vote for Aggroed!
This post got a
3.13% upvote thanks to @sornprar - Hail Eris !Sorry sornprar,
Maybe I am on the other side of the army.
Honestly, I am still not that much old here to understand the whole issue, only thing that I understood is that more the steem power a person has, more influence he has through his votes. That is good, because the ones who has invested their money here will worry more about the platform, so they will use their vote wisely.
And yes they earn more because they have invested their money. That is what happens in every business.
No worries, sanjay. It really boils down to 2 thing s for me: How one perceives the White Papers, and what one chooses to do with the knowledge acquired (and, I'll add, a matter of poking a hornet's nest or not.... if I had known that it is acceptable behavior to 'con' others into investing so one can flag their profitable content for the sole reason to self-upvote to confiscate those rewards, I would have never called out that user and basically unknowingly volunteered to have my reputation destroyed).
So, since reading the White Papers, I have decided to concentrate on exposing the flaws in the system rather than the individuals abusing said flaws in the system. And to build our own reliable and loyal Network within this network called steemit.
I am happy to see you have researched and put much thought into the issue. And, no matter which "side" you choose, I am glad to have bumped into you here.
ohk, I didn't know that about reputation part, sorry to hear that.