For the past few days, I've been trying to figure out exactly what Steemit is and how it differs from other publishing platforms. I've been spending most of my energy scouring tag pages, watching tutorials and trying to figure out what it means for content to be deemed "valuable". As a Community Manager and Editor for an online publisher myself, I know that valuable content for us is writing that goes beyond a given topic and makes an attempt to promote conversation. We'll never curate an article that simply says, "Hey look at this thing that happened". Rather, we look for writers and works that go a little bit deeper. "Hey guys, here's what happened and this is why we should care. This is why it's important to me and this is why you should take an interest yourself." If a creator is willing to put in the extra work and produce something meaningful for the community (not just their own stat sheet) then we will gladly reward them.
This is what's wrong with the majority of what you see online these days. Every image, video or article is merely a placeholder for the next thing that's already on its way. The lasting power of online content in 2017 is absolutely dismal, and it's simply because there's so much of it out there. Regardless of how good a lot of it might be, our fascination it never lasts more than a split second.
'Scrolls down on Instagram'
These publishers and social media platforms that are supposed to promote quality content and interaction are becoming so cluttered with constant influxes of new media, that it's hard to know what to care about. When your feed consists of 100 new posts a minute, it's hard to know what GOOD content actually is.
'LIKE'
More than that, quality interactions on these platforms are hard to come by. In a world where everyone is solely concerned with boosting their own view counts and online reputations, it's hard to know who is truly genuine and who out there posting really just wants to start a dialogue.
'Scroll scroll - LIKE'
Closes iPhone.
For me, that's where I see the value in Steemit's model and community. While a lot of writers, bloggers, "influencers" and content creators might just be here for the paycheck, the creators of this technology clearly want us to engage with each other in ways that are actually meaningful. Here, you can increase your value not only by posting good content by curating and commenting on it as well. You can trade currency and help invest in the value of others, which when you think about it is probably one of the most selfless things you can do online today. We're tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding this community from spammers, cash grabbers and narcissists, and in turn, are rewarded for having and promoting meaningful interactions.
I'm still very new to the platform, but so far I find that philosophy to be one of the most interesting and refreshing features of Steemit. We need to realize that the internet IS forever, so we might as well take the time to invest in it in a way that matters. It's going to be a really lonely place if all we're ever after is instant gratification.