You have probably seen dozens of articles talking about 50/50 already, but I'm here to give you my opinion. I might react like this due to my current situation, or due to the fact that I have ~1700 Steem Power in total... Or, because I work hard to empower the "little guys". But I never thought I'd read something so terrifying as I've seen in so many comments and articles so far...
50/50. A Good Thing?
No. It is one of the worst things I've heard so far. I don't mind 3 or 5 minutes curation window and I don't really care about separated upvote/downvote pools, but I am against 50% curation reward. Judging by the results, it looks like most of the top witnesses are in favor of 50/50. Many of them have shared their opinions and I'll be honest with you. I like the reason behind this proposition, but it feels like a nightmare so can someone wake me up?
I can see some benefits, as it would be an attempt to increase the overall engagement, but as someone who's working hard in an attempt to be a content creator, it's like giving me a rope so I can hang myself.
Some people are true content creators and others are creating content. The difference between these things are, that it is basically a lifestyle to be a true content creator meanwhile literally anyone can create some sort of content. I have been here for more than 2 years and I've shared things in various niches. Lately, I've shared a bunch of gameplay videos, which isn't "that hard" so to speak. All it takes is to play games, record it, upload it and post it. I personally wouldn't call that content by a true content creator. It's a type of content, and it can be shared by anyone...
However, I have spent several hours writing articles during my time on Steemit too. I have worked hard to encourage and inspire people around me and I've strived to support the "little guys", even though I'm just some seaweed in the bottom of the ocean myself. I have tried to pave the way for others, in one way or another, as I want to empower those around me.
We've all heard or seen it at some point. People who blames the system, blames the people and people who leave Steemit because it's unfair and because they don't earn. In this case, 50/50 could be a good thing, as it will encourage users to curate more. That will give everyone a higher chance of receiving upvotes, so that's a good thing. Especially in case you would get dozens of more votes in total. That would ultimately make up for the loss you would face going from 75/25 to 50/50.
The bad thing about this, and the reason I am against 50/50, is due to the fact that it will benefit curators, and it will definitely hurt the overall quality of the posts. As there are no guarantees whatsoever, to recieve more votes, true content creators will suffer. This will ultimately lead to more automatic means to earn and it will lead to more garbage.
Engagement is a big problem. People spend hours writing an article and they get 6 votes and 0 comments. If you're more "established", you'll get ~40 votes (due to voting-trails), and a handful of comments. This will not change with 50% curation rewards, as curators will continue to curate, and not interact, but it will give them more for doing the same thing they've been doing.
I wouldn't feel good about giving curators more, when I'm the one spending time producing content. No matter the quality of the content I share. The sad part is that I don't have any better ideas, so I'm just a "nay-sayer"... But I'd rather have it like it is today than to change to 50/50. Just imagine all the vote sellers out there... And change to 50/50?
Nah, how about giving people more when they deserve more? Those who work hard and those who produce results. They get promotions and higher salary. A 50/50 change would increase low quality and decrease real content. It would probably even increase the amount of vote sellers, as vote sellers and users with lots of stake are the true winners with a change like this.
Just imagine being paid to vote, and then get 50% curation rewards too. Imagine having lots of stake and earn more because you upvote... A perfect way to increase circle-jerk and greed... But not only that, it's also a good way to make even more users on Steemit passive.
How about trying to come up with a sustainable solution to get people active instead of trying to figure out ways to fill your own pockets even more? All in all, a good way to make the rich even richer and to bring even more greed into the playing field.