You need Steem Power to do stuff on the Blockchain. You also will have SMT be paired to Steem. It's clearly in Steemit's best interest to not make Steem useless since they hold Steem. So if you want to convert an SMT token into Fiat then you will have to use Steem. Nobody struggles here if you stop look at relative wealth. The only thing you have to do is invest your Time and Attention properly to the desired goal you have and work hard and smart while you build up new relationships and creates a unique niche on the Blockchain.
YouTube is still in Beta it still has the monkey error, their Machine Learning totally ignores what a human subscribe too, their Ad system is tanking and currently a disaster, they have no support not even a phone number. Everyone will earn via the win-win concept. If I do something good on the Blockchain I increase the value of this place and it benefits all Token holders. Investors are starting to blend together with content creators. The old labels are disappearing.
One upvote system will promote more engagement if they can identify human accounts. But this will always be a cat and mouse game. No black and white solution here. Universal truths are: Life is competition and life is selection. Once you understand that then you will do your best job possible. With more apps we will create a more niche based world with more alternatives. People love the idea of their own little Tribe and special place.