Thanks for the reply @k0d3g3ar and I think I understand your position as a Libertarian, but I don't think poverty will be with us forever, especially with the use of AI, technology and automation.
Having said that, there is an app like Instagram on Steem and it's called @steepshot. I use it for some of my posts and some of the cat and food photos you dislike might be from there.
I can see your gripe with Steemit and I personally believe this platform will fall by the wayside and Dapps will take over.
If a Steem platform wants to represent blog posts only, it should do something along the lines of having a requirement for a minimum amount of text.
I think Steemit as a platform will fall by the wayside but Steem as a currency will be more stable (over the long-run) than the other SMTs. The price that it is stable at though will probably be in the $1.00 - $5.00 range... not the $100.00+ that speculators are dreaming for.
P.S. Like you always say, that's not financial advice, it's just my personal belief, at least for now.
Good idea on the amount of text. What is also interesting (and somewhat encouraging) is to see the fiscal benefit of posting video content vs. writing in blogs. Those that post on d.tube seem to make 100x the revenue in terms of Steem from upvotes, etc. The only problem is that the same dynamic occurs - they post a pointless daily vlog that has little or no production value, or content. More of a "this is what is on my mind right now" approach.
Remember the early days of Twitter? People would tweet sitting on the toilet or eating a meal. The efficacy of the post was lost. It was originally designed to be a spur of the moment thought, but people learned quickly that doing that doesn't engage a audience or build a following. Here, it seems, people are not interested in long term benefits vs. short term quick bucks and I suspect, to your point, that will be the demise of SteemIt.
Steemit won't die off 100% but I don't think it will thrive either @kod3g3ar. It is too generic and often ends up being the dumping ground for Dapps.
One example is @steepshot. Steemit is supposed to be a blog platform but @steepshot photos with very little text are also published on @steemit.
Another example is @partiko since it is starting to resemble Facebook. People might start treating it like Facebook, but the posts will still get dumped on the Steemit feed.
There is also a possibility that junk Dapps will be created and their content will find their way to the Steemit feed.
Dapps have an advantage over @steemit in that they can create a specific purpose such as streaming, blogging, photography or crowdfunding and can format their website or app to reflect that.
Steemit on the other-hand doesn't have that luxury since it is mainly used as a sample site for what can be acheived through the Steem blockchain.
Because of @steemit's position as the "sample site" I think SMTs will take center stage at one point and Steem as a currency will take a major hit. That is when I plan on investing since I think Steem will benefit from SMTs in the long-run but not immediately.
I would love to know your thoughts about buying into Steem and when you think it is a good time to buy. I personally think the downtrend won't cease until Steem touches 50 cents but I am also looking to see if I can buy-in even lower than that.