We are all well aware of just how brilliant the idea of Steemit is. However, one cannot help but consider the much wider possibilities for its development. Steemit rewards users with money for quality content, which no other platform does. It isn't difficult to imagine that Steemit comments will appear in blogs (akin to posting from your Facebook account, as most websites allow you to do), and Steemit "upvote" buttons will be a way for conventional bloggers to earn much more. Not only this, but since upvotes are given for quality content, the system could provide an Internet-wide incentive for better content creation as a whole.
Next, think of the integration of Steemit into news/media websites. Once more, authors and website owners would add an additional stream of income outside of generic advertising by simply adding a Steemit "upvote" button next to articles. If anything, Steemit could become a liberalizing force for writers and content creators, as they would no longer be reliant on corporate media for a source of income. This is not to mention that the platform could be used as a tipping tool on practically any website.
Finally, one could see Steemit being acquired or integrated into a proprietary website by a major company such as Facebook to incentivize better original content creation on its platform. As things stand, Facebook only rewards content creators with "likes"—that is, a numerical measure of popularity. What if, instead, people would be able to earn money for every post they make on the website? This could spur faster growth for Facebook or any other company that could acquire Steemit.
In essence, Steemit may allow the first instance of widespread, reader/user-initiated content monetization in the history of the Internet. I'd be interested in your thoughts regarding any of this.