You make a really good point about the whales contributing back, but a lot of them contribute amongst themselves and I think thats when people become irritated...however, that's not my point!
Really interesting post, mtgmisfit. I agree, but I also have to agree that it was the cryptos that brought me here...Than the crypto news and community kept me here. Now, I'm working on creating a name for myself and actually posting more original content. Stay tuned ;D Follow/resteemed
Thank you! I imagine being a whale is like being a member of an exclusive fraternity. Sure, you gave the support of powerful friends, but there's a significant cost to access that network. One thing I've noticed is that the more involved I get in the community, the more I understand the idea of being able to buy "clout" to help shape the direction of the platform so that it isn't overrun by spammers and copypasta that would make the platform unsustainable.
The nice thing about Steemit is that if you can't afford to buy the steem power to hold influence in the community, you can work your way there by simply interacting with other community members. The platform seems good about rewarding genuine discourse, and that's due to the diligence of people who want Steemit to be successful.
Following you as well :)