Steemit has always been a bit "pay to win", as those who "run the show" is the ones with large accounts. However, back in the days, when I started, you could see tons of heart and compassion. Investors didn't act greedy and selfish. In fact, it was the opposite!
They rewarded good content, no matter if it where a whale, a dolphin, minnow or a seaweed who published the article. They helped newcomers to establish themselves. I was fortunate enough to get a handful of articles well-rewarded when I joined and truth is, that I would probably not have been here today, if I didn't get that much of help and support in the early days. Especially as Steemit always have been promoted like an easy way to earn money...
And truth is, it's not easy at all. It's extremely time consuming and difficult for newcomers... And that's probably why most of them give up too.