Excellent thought-provoking post with some insightful perspective on the current state of Steemit and its potential.
It certainly does have a lot of promise, and it's very possible that we will see major growth, if not in 2018, then quite likely in 2019 and beyond. That growth will be fascinating to watch and experience.
The only possible major hindrance might be the coming crash of the financial system / fiat currency system. According to many astute observers, a crash and collapse is inevitable, and when it hits, it's gonna be very ugly.
But, looking on the bright side, those who have some precious metals and certain cryptocurrencies will at least be able to preserve some of their money / wealth. Steem might be one of those that does well during a financial crash.
A crash of the present financial system, a point I dont agree with, would only help all cryptos....I imagine a crash of the entire economy would send a lot of money into the crypto realm as a store of value.
I tend to be very optimistic about cryptos, particularly when I realize that we are still in the early stages. With mass adoption, the growth will become exponential.
At the same time, I try to temper my optimism with a healthy dose of caution.