I agree with you. I see Bitcoin as the first that is going to raise awareness for cryptocurrencies and blockchains in general. From its mistakes others will learn and make better things (already happening).
Another issue I see is that Bitcoin needs initial investment and even through all the advancements is still hard to understand and to use. Many people today only see the price of Bitcoin, but know nothing else about it (and think about investing/trading like they would with any other currency, which then goes back to the issues you highlighted in your post). This is where I think steem has advantage as it is more approachable via platforms like steemit.