"The overwhelming majority make less-than-break-even for the electricity they pay to run their computer(s)."
Agreed! So what's the point? Is this whole Steemit thing really worth it, or are we all just wasting our time putting that $500 per month (or whatever) in the hands of those who really have no respect for the rest of us. Only a fool would do that. I think it's time to shut down Steemit for what it really is...a ponzi scheme.
"I'm just pointing out that even those at the TOP aren't exactly "rollin' in it"."
Point taken! But let's not forget that there are countries in the world where $500 a month would be considered a lot of money.
But regardless of how money is earned or allocated, one of the other main problems with Steemit is the fact that there is almost no original content posted. The vast majority of it is simply copied and pasted from somewhere else on the Internet.
And that's probably where most of steem's potential growth lays.
I have seen a few charitable organizations on steemit trying to promote photography and other work by accounts from countries with wrecked economies.
And I don't personally see a problem with that.
If people want to treat steemit as a sort of news aggregator, that seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Slashdot, FARK, GoogleNews, and actually most "news" sources don't post original content. They just regurgitate Reuters and the Associated Press.
Why do I care if it's "original" or not. I only care if it's interesting.
Although, I do find those on the almighty steemit "top trending" page to be pretty boring.