It's Honing Your Brain to make Value Judgements
When I interact on Steemit I’m constantly asking myself “What is this worth to me?” I identify that which has value, and I act upon it. On Facebook or any other platform the question is always “What am I doing here? I should be working.” On Steemit I am working. That’s what I’m doing here. I take pride in working, even in the posts that I spend hours writing that never go above a dollar. Because of how low the return has been many could say that it is therefore not a selfish motive…
Bare with me here.
Imagine Steemit like a brain that has only just gained consciousness, and the first question it’s asking is like Descartes waking up in the morning before he remembers who he is. “How do I know that I exist” (On Steemit this comes out to something like “What the fuck is this platform? How do I even begin?”)
It feels like 90% of all posts on Steemit are basically about Steemit – and maybe it was like that at the beginning of Facebook but somehow I doubt it. Steemit is all self centered, self reflective, and that’s a good sign. More than anything else, that’s what makes me believe in this platform. It’s unabashedly motivated by self interest. (Enlightened or rational self interest).
It’s strange that the most capitalistic website on the internet revolves around these altruistic upvotes… but then again, is altruism my motive in content creation/upvoting?
Is it really altruistic? You know that weird feeling you get when you help someone immensely with a problem they’re suffering from? I don’t really get that feeling when I upvote… Does this mean that it’s a purely selfish motive? Of course it can’t be because no one will ever know that I clicked upvote-so why did I do it?. (Assuming the gratification of an upvote has an external source, which I don’t believe is the case). Participation on Steemit is selfish (a word that for me is neutral or positive) it is rather altruistic (a word that for me carries a negative connotation given that I’ve read too much Ayn Rand).
Participation on Steemit is motivated by selfishness, and that’s not a bad thing depending on your definition of selfish. If you think of the un-restrained irrational thieving conniving sort of selfish (which is ultimately harmful to the self and therefore not truly selfish), that’s not really part of my vocabulary. But if your thinking of the rational Rand esque selfishness that revolves around voluntaryism, I’m right there with you.
You can say that upvotes are altruistic in nature because they put the writer at the mercy of the reader, but that has always been the case. It’s not an altruistic motive that drives me to an article in the first place. I go there because I’m seeking value for my own mind, not because I want to increase someone’s wallet.
Lately I’ve been thinking that we need better terminology than ‘enlightened self interest’ or ‘rational self interest’. We need a word that describes this phenomena accurately, assigned with a universal definition that anyone can grasp. For now I’ll just have to use the word ‘Steemian’.
You can find more of my content @escapehatch - and here a few of my latest posts.
I'm not a Whale or a Dolphin, I'm a SHARK
There’s No Shame in being a Bond VILLAIN
Excellent assessment. We are all part of this ecosystem and we are all benefitting in numerous ways. Promoting good content and getting rewarded. Writing good content and getting rewarded. I smile when I make $0.05 on a post because however small, it is real. Also it's more than I would have gotten anywhere else for sharing my work. As long as the reward algorithms are perfected this should have a very bright future.
It also acts as a time catalogue of my thoughts, which I never had an incentive to do before
Hoping they come out with a good way to organize our personal material. I'd like to keep poetry together etc so I don't end up feeling like a packrat lol
https://steemit.com/steemit/@razvanelulmarin/thank-god-it-s-friday-more-steemit-time-original-steemit-gif-inside
PERFECT for this post :))
thanks @razvanelulmarin
steemit is like a child, trying to find out who he/she is gonna be ^^
That is deffinetly a better analogy than the one I came up with about descartes.
i think therefore i steemit was the best part xD
Good analysis!I like your post.
'tis good or bad then?
I'll let you make that value judgment
At least Steemit is challenging the current business model. I invest because I want to support more of a decentralized, redistributive (if that's a word) line of thinking whether it succeeds for fails.
I totally agree @monopoly-man - decentralization! that goes without saying
Yes ....it is Excellent assessment :)
Thanks @foxkoit!! -
Greetings fellow Steemian! Loved your article and perspective, especially when you explained, "I’m seeking value for my own mind, not because I want to increase someone’s wallet." Someone recently called me 'selfish' and I cackled and said, "you say that like it's a bad thing." I read an article recently called "In Defense of Villainesses" in Disney Films, and it talked about how to they use their power to get what they want. Let me know if you want me to send you the link. I didn't write it, although I wish I did :)
Defiantly send it, and take a look at a recent post of mine:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@escapehatch/there-s-no-shame-in-being-a-bond-villain
You can check out more of my selfish and self centered content @escapehatch
oh you wrote that drug dealer article thats why I'm already following you-
Ha ha yes! Thanks
Thanks @escapehatch
Here's the article: http://www.tor.com/2016/08/09/in-defense-of-villainesses
Going to check out your "selfish" posts. :)
Just read it -You are a seriously villainous villainess if this article is an accurate description of your personality
He he thanks :)