A real catalyst would be a massively improved UI, but that's apparently too much to ask from a "social media company."
The token-creation thing has been done a few times already in crypto. Bitshares even has it...and their prices aren't doing very well compared to the others. Not sure what Steem can add regarding investor value without other large improvements elsewhere in the ecosystem.
I wish that Steemit, Inc. would work on improving their own flagship product (Steemit.com) instead of copying things that already exist. This just seems like a move out of desperation while they continue to ignore user feedback on vital social media functions/features. And we shouldn't assume that other investors don't see this happening as well. Confidence in development seems to be pretty low overall.
There's a reason we're not seeing many useful projects/businesses being developed around here. Token-creation won't magically change that, in my opinion. I really do hope that I'm wrong though. I would love it if that were the case.
At this point, I'd be happy if just the on boarding process was improved/fixed. Guess all we can do is wait and see. shrugs
A-freaking-men, you sing the song of my people.