I agree, I've only been here less than 48 hours, and it seems like there is definitely a pay to play aspect to Steemit, but at the same time, I feel like there is a pretty good opportunity for people who don't invest but rather focus on the actual curation of content. But I also recognize the power distribution is a struggle between users.
The other interesting thing about this article is the argument you bring up about people curating content due to the fear that people have about increasing and maintaining their reputation.