If you compare steemit to a highschool movie the whales and dolphins would be the cool kids. The quarterbacks and cheerleaders.
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Seemingly blessed and everyone wants to be like them as they seem so popular and pretty. People like to be around them to catch some their thunder.
While some might be really pretty and always scoring the meaningful touchdowns others are more like the six million dollar man.
They bought their way into their talents(including myself). They dont have to put up the best comments as people really like to get their votes ( even if they say countless time they dont really care about that ) and try to get attention.
Money talks...Your voice is worth something...
True. Chances are my vote is worth more in $ than yours though. Steemit is not a democracy as we know it.
It is a mix between a popularity contest and a free market.
Some people get whale support right away maybe through their content or the right contacts others six million dollar man their way into here to make themselves interesting.
The really successful once probably do both (while abusing the system as well).
I read often about the frustration people have how less money they make here, how they feel their voice has no value to others and how hard they worked for their post.
Hard work doesn`t mean success. It "just"increases your odds to become succeessful.
The harder I work, the luckier I get.
-Samuel Goldwyn
The upvotes you got were what the content was worth to the following you have build so far. The chances to go viral are slim.
If people out hustle you they are going to win the popularity contest and are creating an edge for themselves in the free market here.
They score the touchdown and get the girl
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For now Steemit is like it is. For the good and bad. You can be who you are and write what you want to write about.
Maybe people like it, maybe not. But we have to accept the fact that the freemarket aspect of steemit makes rubbing shoulders with the right people is important if you want to achieve bigger payouts.
You can try to get in touch with them or complain about it that other people do that. Up to you, honey as they would say in Thailand.