Using Hive is a fun way for make a little money. The idea being that better content gets more views. More views mean more likes. More likes means more money.
The idea is that those people who contribute the most and best content end up making the most money! Great idea. In theory. However, curators and creators share the reward 50:50. A whale of a curator will get a large amount of money each and every time they upvote. In that way the rich curators will always be getting more money that everyone else.
Whales will always be whales.
People who start at Red Fish will have to work their tail off to become minnows. With hard work, dedication, and good content they may even become Dolphin. Swimming with the whales though? Virtually impossible for those of us who are "Free to Play"
Should we complain when we see a post like this one though?
I mean I have never had any post even come close to a 250 Hive reward or 700 views. Chances are I never will. Why should someone else bring in so much in one post?
My Answer: Of course they should.
I said that jokingly because it in general it is the whales who make Hive work. It is their votes which give the rest of us cash. It is their work that makes Hive what it is. Half of the fun of being on Hive is having a whale or curation account notice your work and give you a big boost! (at least for me).
Without them the place would be a lot less interesting.
Of course there are some accounts that are just far more interesting than others. They get lots of votes and cash because they make good content that the rest of us enjoy. Again it is their hardwork and dedication that make Hive what it is. Without them again, Hive wouldn't be as great a place as it is.
I'm sure that you already know all of this.
So why do I even bother mentioning this?
What does it have to do with my title?
Here's the thing. For those of us on the "red fish" / "have little" side of things it is easy to get jealous. I see some users who regularly get 100+ Hive per post and my thoughts get to grumbling about why can't I get that much.
I may put in just as much effort on a post but I get 0.3Hive while they are getting 300x that much.
But Hive isn't about Merit it is about Sphere of Influence.
I want to get a reward based on the effort or merit of my post--but that's not how Hive works. I get rewarded based on how many others I'm influencing to click on an upvote.
In time...perhaps my hard work and effort will lead to me getting noticed and increase my ability to influence others however that is never guaranteed. I may just end up stick as a little minnow in a big pond forever.
The same thing happens in the real world!
A lot of money in the real world goes based on how many people you influence. Think of Amazon or Microsoft. Their products influence the lives of millions if not billions around the world. With their huge sphere of influence their income is unbelievable!
How about popular actors or sports superstars? Hundreds of millions (or more) watch their performances and their work influences the life and happiness of countless individuals.
Take the movie "Avengers Endgame"...Over 100 Million people saw it in its opening weekend! That's a huge number of people affected and when you look at the profits it made it is Gigantic!
Take a World Cup Soccer Final.... Viewership 1.5 BILLION people! Huge sphere of influence means huge money for the people involved.
But how about hardworking individuals?
How about a hardworking teacher? They influence 20-30 students every year.
How about a hardworking Doctor? A profound influence on their local community but rarely more than a few hundred patients.
... and that goes for more people They work very hard at what they do. They have an influence on the community and those around them. However, their wages don't even register when compared to celebrities and superstars.
So the question comes up. Is it fair that stardom brings incredible riches while the majority struggle paycheque to paycheque and perhaps even meal to meal?
How about a HIVE example to answer that question.
Let's assume that every person posting on Hive was to get 1 Hive for their post for every 1000 words written. It would be fair because everyone would be paid based on their work done. There would be lots of long articles and everyone would get what they were due.
But the rich would not want to bother for so little cash. The best content creators would be drawn elsewhere where they could make more money. We would be overrun with poor quality, longwinded, low effort posts. I certainly wouldn't want that!
Guess What
If society went to a paid based on effort there would be little incentive to be creative and go beyond. Those who are truly skilled who have no incentive to showcase their talents. There would be no competition to make better music, show better skill, make better movies, create better food....We would be stuck with people just putting in effort to get what they want with no reason to go beyond
A view from a Socialist Country.
However, I'm also a Canadian. Our government has been called Socialist (although Social Capitalist has also been used). As a result: The more money a person makes the more money the government takes. For someone making Low Income (9000 HBD/year) they will pay no taxes and get a lot of income assistance from the government. However once a person makes High Income (70,000HBD/year) the taxes go up to 43%. Continue up to $150,000HBD yearly and the taxes go up to 53%. The government takes more than half a high wages earners money!
In this case the highest wage earners pay HUGE amounts of tax to the system to subsidize those who are on the lower scale. A very talented individual still makes far more than a less skilled worker but it evens things out a little bit.
There are ways to hide an individuals income but it usually involves giving money to charity (which again helps those less fortunate) or saving for their future (which takes pressure off the aid system when someone gets older) or helping children with schooling (so there are more successful people later to pay more taxes).
Do I support those who make the world (and Hive) with higher pay?
Absolutely. Great musicians Great actors, Great sportsman and talented people over the world make the world a much better place to live.
Do I support them being taxed to make things fair for those who are not nearly as talented or who are disadvantaged? Absolutely there is a duty to help out your fellow man in my books.
Where I get upset is in Corporate tax write-offs or those people who make money by influencing others in a bad way.
Some of the richest people are criminals
Drug dealers often have a huge influence on a large number of people. They make a huge amount of money by preying on society and ripping it apart. I have no compassion on their wealth.
Corrupt politicians are almost as bad. They again have a huge sphere of influence. They make their money by siphoning the money of those people in their country or on corrupt deals. I have no compassion on their wealth either.
However...as an add on to that. A good politician who influences an entire country with good policies to make the lives better for the country. For those individuals I have no problem with them making a large wage as their hard work makes lives better for many many individuals. Unfortunately, the number of politicians I would consider good is extremely small.
Then you have Corporations. Corporate greed is on a level which is hard for an individual to comprehend. Amazon valued at over 1 Trillion Dollars. That's enough to give every living person in Nigeria 1M Naira and not even use up a third of their value. Due to accounting practices they have been known to pay NO Taxes : Story Here
Now I understand the value of incorporating. I understand the value of accounting in keeping track of value, profits, income and so on. However, the idea of growing to a size larger than many nations and giving nothing back to society doesn't sit well with me.
However, that is a topic for another post.
To sum it up.
I believe that individuals should continue to paid paid on their overall value to society. Provide incentive for people to work hard, study hard, train well, perfect their skills and improve the lives of those around them.
If that's on Hive I want better posts. I want whales that actively promote the ecosystem. I want Hive to Thrive.
In the real world I want to see great movies. I want to hear great music. I want to see exceptionally skilled athletes. I want to taste great food in restaurants. Life is better with all that around.
If that means that there are many people who have much more than I am then I'm happy for them.
And to answer the title of this post. The money you earn IS yours and should be yours. If you have much many people may think you are not entitled to it as you are so much wealthier than they are. However, if you got that money through skill or making society better than enjoy it, you earned it.
However, for those who are a drain on society. If they do not help those less fortunate. If they make the world worse for all those around them...for those people I truly wish they lost everything that they have.
Just my quick thoughts