Playing the Role of a Provocateur is a dangerous game in this world, even when it comes to entities and groups that typically are more radical or revolutionary because everyone has a self-interest in something and Survival is the first law of nature of any organization, institution, belief system's, everything has a self defense mechanism so I would not be surprised if someone felt that this is an attack to platform but it is merely something for others to consider and maybe others can help me sort through my thoughts and understandings.
Why Steemit’s “Decentralization” is a façade
As most anarchist and libertarians contemplate to depths of decentralization, I would implore them not to only look at it from the point of currency creation but also the ability to influence the flow of capital, as well as if nepotism subverts the efforts of decentralization when the structure of an eco-system remains the same as the one with a central bank.
Steemit is a decentralized social media platform however; within the network it has its own eco-system that resembles the basic structure of our known centralized capitalist systems. The three classes consist of Whales (1-15%) who hold great power of influence within the network, with one simple click these whales can make or break you, then you have your Dolphins who are the equivalent to the middle class and last you have your minnows who are obviously at the bottom of the food chain.
In my opinion the purpose or significance of Decentralization is to distribute power back to the individual majority from the hands of the few. However, this seems to be far from the reality of steemit.
Grant it, the currency Steem is not created by a central bank like the US dollar, it still has a platform which yields great influence on the circulation of the currency unless you buy direct from an exchange. The issue that I see arising is the attempt by Whales to thwart any negative publicity published on Steemit, an attempt to censor through intimidation. If I publish a contrarian position on Steemit and a Whale doesn’t like it, what’s stopping them from downvoting a post of yours and decreasing your reputation status? How could a Minnow object to the judgements of a Whale? Are minnows forced to sit back and take whatever is dished out, good or bad, from whales? How is this different from Centralized Capitalism?
How does this differ from the current structure of our flawed credit system? Considering that the credit report industry is dominated by the companies (Experian, Transunion, Equifax) who have the ability to influence your credit rating.
If Steemit is decentralized, no one person should have more influence on your “steemit credit rating” than any other person. Does Power not corrupt? Who’s to say no Whale won’t be vindictive and flag a person’s post because of personal vendetta rather than there being a genuine problem with the post? And no, I’m not here to cry about things not being fair, I simply want to provide a different look at things. If Whales can flag and dictate what’s visible and what’s not, how exactly does this differ from Facebook censoring, which then affects profitability ultimately?
Is "Decentralization" not the unconsolidation of power or is the term limited in the crypto space?
What are your thoughts?