The idea of financial freedom is very exciting and honestly, I think that drives a lot of people to come to Steem and to continue to come to Steem.
Although, I wish fewer people would come for that and more would come for the social interaction. Granted, it can be hard to get social interaction with your own post but it is quite easy if you go search for others content.
The problem with many people coming for financial independence is many people fail to realize that it is a long and hard task especially if you don't have a ton of money to get your content noticed on its own. It is a lot of hard work for those who are starting with nothing. Produce good content, interact with others and leave meaningful comments and this takes quite a bit of time because you actually need to read what was posted!
The way I see it, you can't reap rewards without some quality input of your own. People who wish to be financially independent have a long and challenging road ahead of themselves. But once you are prepared to take that path then it will work out somehow. :)