I stumbled upon a thread early today wherein someone was questioning the relevance of complains from users stating that their contributions on short content platforms on Hive were not being rewarded, especially on Ecency, and this got me thinking because though the question looked simple at face value it does not fully represent the reality as to why one shows up here everyday.
The author of the thread asked if users were here for rewards or connection, to me this question misses the point because honestly we all show up for rewards in a way or the other. Hive is a tool that provides opportunities for builders, investors and content creators to create and not everyone is here to build. Builders are providing value, investors are also providing value and content creators, day in and out are also providing value regardless of long or short content and all of them do so because there is a reward in sight.
Even the connection is no exception, for engagement is also a reward itself. So the claims made about receiving no rewards, especially from short content, are in my view not just simple complaints but frustrated reactions stemming from a real issue.
The real issue is the price one pays to be online.
For some, this is not simply a matter of logging in and putting content up, they are in places with erratic power supply and unaffordable internet service. So for them being online is not passive but a deliberate action taken at a price.
I and many others with similar circumstance spend money daily to keep our devices charged. Charging phones and power banks at the charging centers have become a common practice and if we calculate it costs about $8 and possibly higher per month to do this. Moreover this is without accounting for data which would cost just as much and even higher depending on one's internet usage.
Putting it all together it's obvious the mere act of being active on this platform costs more than a lot of users are currently earning. And still we show up.
So when someone complains of not getting rewards especially from interacting with short content such as Snaps, Waves, InLeo threads; it is only fair that they are not met with mere dismissal but rather understanding. Yes, the complaint should not become an every-day occurrence, but they are legitimate and they arise from something quite critical.
Short content platforms are meant to serve as containers for user contributions to be rewarded and by default every participant and commenter on it should benefit in one way or the other. So when someone participates consistently and receives no reward, something must be wrong somewhere.
We should not condemn such people because when one consistently pays to be online, it is very difficult to continue doing so and not receive something in return.
Being online is not free for everyone, and for many of us, the price we pay is real.