I don't have enough puzzle pieces to comment about the big picture between corporations in a useful way here, but it is always true that even a single individual can make decisions that greatly influence systems in ways that need to be researched to be understood.
I have long said that Steemit could be controlled (as can any cryptocurrency) by those with the most fiat currency simply by them 'investing' in it or infiltrating the central team. Many have said that this has occurred with Bitcoin 'Core' - the challenge is that outsiders don't have much of a way to know the full details without a lot of research work being performed or maybe due to whistleblowing. Whistleblowers absolutely deserve more respect!
Yeah, there is definitely no way of knowing for sure, without solid evidence. On the issue of flagging, I created a simple opinion poll using Steefun, where people could express a simple opinion on the practice. I'm not sure if you think it's a worthwhile endeavour to try and get a community feel about what users think about It? Since I don't have much influence on here, maybe you can advise me if it's worthy of pursuing this type of thing, or is it just a waste of time? If you would like to have a look at it, let me know and I can post a link...Thanks for the reply
I have never heard of steefun - sure, post the link :)
Thanks.. I didn't want to post it without your permission first.
https://steemit.com/steefun/@palikari123/opinion-poll-flagging-on-the-steemit-platform