I don't see the problem here. It's a test platform just as you say. Eventually someone will figure out the ideal system that creates most amount of success.
The platform name doesn't really matter. It's still the same game of creating value no matter what the platform is being called. But there is nothing even close to Steemit right now that works this well.
Compared to the traditional trio of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter this is a pretty massive step forward in evolution and excellence in a data system that works.
The real world has created more abundance than ever before so clearly that system works. That's why it's good that Steemit mirrors the real world so to say.