Terrific summary of what is taking place.
I agree whole-heartedly about the major tech companies trying to control the message that is out there. They are like all other corporations, run by the banksters. This is why blockchain and sites such as steemit are so important. For the first time, people have an alternative. For this reason, we will see attacks at some point when the threat is realized.
That means we need to take the time we have now to make this site as strong as possible. The more quality content that is posted, the more goggle (ironic but it is their game) picks up on it. As Steemit grows, the ranks improve. Over time, people will find this place simply through searches.
Steemit is important. But, honestly, it's the steem blockchain and the promise of SMT's that is actually far more important. Steemit is simply the gateway, the proof-of-concept... but there are so many more social networks to be built on top of the Steem blockchain that can remake how we do most everything on the web.