Just like you said it, crypto is just the promise of money until you can buy something material! I felt that when I got my camera last week, I bought it with Steem and I was super excited to see my 011001-type money turn to euros and then to a Nikon!!
So, to answer your questions on upvotes, I don't equalize them with REAL money, it's that magic trick Steemit does to you. You see it as a game, so as long as no money comes out of your pocket, you can play with it.
And I hold on to my cryptos if there is no urgency to turn them into fiat.
I came here with nothing but my 25 steem deegation from the platform and now I can invest some of my earnings on other cryptos. Steemit is just amazing in introducing noobs (me) to the mysterious world of crypto without jeopardizing their real money
It doesn't have to be material. Virtual goods are still goods. But a new Nikon is sweet! :)
I am like you - I started out with nothing but made connections and invested and here I am, almost a dolphin riding a generous delegation. The difference is - I dumped my fiat jobs as steemit and steem-related projects simply pay more.
Ooooh! I'm too much of a pussy to quit my fiat-paying job, but cryptos definitely help complementing the family budget ;)
As a freelancer it was an easy decision. If clients pay me 200 USD for an article and steemit pays up to 600 USD, it's quite obvious which I should be dedicating my attention to.
Sure, the motivation is waaaay bigger. The downside for me, in Greece at least, is that we need fiat jobs for social security and tax paying. Crypto-legislation is a bit obscure...
I have an accountant managing my stuff so I just ask her what to do. But yeah, crypto-legislation in Israel is just as obscure.