I did a post a few months back about how I was struggling to come up with a Steem elevator pitch. In a comment to that post, Hive account@mattclarke pretty much nailed it:

The internet is a desert, we're all nomads and each website is a tent.
Some are huge and elaborate, some are pretty basic. They look very impressive, but you can never be sure they'll still be in the same spot when you visit next, and unless you really trust the owner, you wouldn't keep anything valuable in one.
It's all we've ever known, so its hard to imagine anything better.
Steem is a huge, flat concrete slab, with a heap of guys boring holes in it, putting up big, steel girders and arguing over blueprints.
From a distance, and with no knowledge of cities, it doesn't look impressive.
Even the few single story buildings that have gone up are kind of underwhelming, and don't attract many visitors.
Real estate on the slab is cheap, but then nobody in the tribe has ever bought or sold land before.
Most people agree it seems pretty stupid, considering the endless miles of uncontested land in every direction.
It’s hard to grasp the value of concepts like plumbing, electricity, lockable doors, floor safes etc without having lived it, but those who can imagine the possibilities are learning, building, starting businesses, building reputations, getting to know their neighbours, and desperately trying to share their vision with others.