I just read a post by 
In reply there, I pointed out that curation rewards are directly parasitic on content creators, decreasing their motivation to create content. Since the value of Steem is driven by the pool of content rewarded with the token, decreasing the value of that content by curation rewards also puts downwards pressure on the price of Steem.
Curation rewards are parasitic on both content creators and investors.
On all social media platforms upvotes that aren't rewarded financially are given. No financial reward is necessary to drive curation. In fact, it can be shown that curation rewards impacted by profit motive decrease the motivation to reward content quality, by introducing profitability as a motivation.
Social interaction motivated by profit is considered unsavory by good folks. One example is prostitution. Mike Tyson said that Don King would sell his momma for a dollar. Don King is not alone, but most of us - those that value other metrics more highly than money - would not prostitute their mothers.
Just as you need no financial incentive to cause your mother to undertake intimate relations, upvoting quality content on social media requires no financial reward. Just as good, reasonable people regard pimping our mothers as harming society, we should regard pimping our content similarly.
Just as various social ills degrade society, parasitising capital gains and content creation via curation rewards degrade social media. Whales want ROI, but only profiteers want ROI at the cost of decreasing the value of the underlying investment vehicle, the Steem token. Capital gains depends on the increase in the value of Steem, and decreasing the rewards for posting quality content decreases the motivation to post quality content, and that puts downwards pressure on the value of Steem, decreasing capital gains, and harming investors.
There are far more valuable rewards in society than money, despite that money is valuable. Reasonably valuing society is what most people do, and this is why we mostly don't pimp out our mothers, and why we shouldn't allow the profit motive to impact doling out upvotes.
Let actual people value posts and comments for those other values, rather than mere money, and the value of Steem will better reflect it's value to society, reward content creators, and drive capital gains. Money isn't bad, but determining who your mother has intimate relations with by being paid is bad, and determining what posts to upvote by which will pay you the most money is bad too.
Curation rewards should be eliminated.
IMG source - SportsOnEarth.com
