So far I really like just about everything STEEM does and is doing. However, one of the biggest issues I see with the platform is this: if you're not already a well-established "high-earning poster", whales tend to miss your post among all the noise and good posts ultimately just get buried. Those with track records of high-earning posts are the ones that are immediately picked up by whales/bots hoping to get a slice of the curation reward pie (oftentimes this is regardless of the post's actual value), so they're the only ones able to get that all-important time in the spotlight. It's a self-promoting cycle that really only benefits those that are already whales.
And yes, this doesn't happen with all posts (some exceptionally well written posts by relative-newcomers are rewarded greatly), but I've seen it happen often enough with other great posts that just go unnoticed. I've also seen some really crap posts from established posters pull in hundreds of dollars. As STEEM grows and the number of little fish fighting for attention continues to explode, this imbalance will only become more apparent.
Can this be fixed? I would think it's possible if the strength of one’s vote is somehow calculated a bit more fairly, so the whales aren't completely running the show as to what should and should not be rewarded. I ultimately just don't want to see STEEM become a walled garden where the only people able to make money here are the already-established whales.