It has been a long time since I have seen someone write such a realistic post about the use of Steemit. It feels like a blessing. Thanks for that.
I admit, I never thought Steemit would have such an impact on my life. What started out of curiosity quickly grew into an addiction. Yes, sometimes I feel hooked. But hooked on what exactly? What makes me come back again and again?
The more time I spent on this platform, the more often I experienced a kind of physical sensations, caused by acute discomfort. A sense of unease. Something's wrong here? The feeling started when I realized that more than half of my followers are probably bots (man, I was so naive). you can imagine how demotivating this felt. You become skeptical. You see hundreds of posts coming back with the same message: how do you become successful on Steemit? Give me 1 SBD and I will resteem your post. How do you increase your visibility? Etc. Everything centered around one specific word: money. 90% of the people came here for that particular reason (including me). I have always blogged and if we are honest, there are many better platforms to do this. Sites that are more user-friendly, with a nicer lay-out and with an amazing community. Money does strange things with people. You can clearly see this here.
Facebook also started with good intentions. They wanted to connect people. They probably didn’t realize that, so many years later, young people become addicted to their daily portion of dopamine. They couldn’t know that people get a false picture of society. Young people in particular are faced with fear, depression or loneliness. And their self-image goes down too (Instagram scores even worse in this area). And then I asked myself the question: aren’t we creating the devil himself? Innocent looking 'likes' already have such a huge impact on society. Replace those 'likes' with the word 'money' and you get a very dangerous combination.
But if you decide to stay, you also realize that some great things happen here. And that is the mysterious attraction of Steemit. That attraction ultimately wins from all those negative thoughts. If you use this platform with the right mindset, great things can happen. Realistic expectations is indeed one important aspect. Steemit is full of fascinating personalities. Find them, communicate, interact, and you immediately get a completely different picture of the value of this platform. If you only look at the many applications that are being developed here, Steemit can be a jaw-dropping experience.
I just think it's important to keep asking certain questions. History has repeated itself too often.
Very insightful comment and you raise some great points. It all boils down to one's own self as the prime motivating factor, extraneous to any unexpected third party incumbrances. Easier than said most of the time, but completely possible, nonetheless.
Thanks again. :)