I honestly don't think money is the be-all-and-end-all. Sure, we need it in order to live but it is a tool, not everything.
Unfortunately true, until it remains the world religion...
Yes, Steemit is a great platform, it takes some building up, but I think it's worth it anyway. You're right, no other platforms allow you what this one does.
I'm thankful for Steemit. I hope that one day other people will see the value in it and the community will grow exponentially rather spending so much time on platforms that truly aren't benefiting them but rather playing a role in surveillance and the police state.