I honestly have no idea whether my position on the subject is in the minority or majority when compared to the views of others but for what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s acceptable behaviour to buy, or sell votes and if you have previously done either of these things, then I would strongly urge you, for your own sake and for the sake of the platform as a whole, to consider whether it is something you think is acceptable going forward. If, after giving it due consideration, you feel there is nothing immoral about doing so, then by all means carry on.
None of us are perfect and I’m by no means a perfect man myself. There have been plenty of times in my life when I have unknowingly and even knowingly made immoral choices. Even now this continues to be the case but when I am fortunate enough to be faced with a moral dilemma, a clear and known choice between moral and immoral behaviour, I hope I am able to make the right choice and become a better man for it. It is a conscious choice for me not to buy votes. I am aware that I could increase my potential rewards from my time on steemit by indulging myself with a few bought votes and I am also aware that it will affect my ‘reputation’ positively rather than negatively by doing so, yet I choose not to because I don’t feel it is right.
The rewards system on steemit, as I understand it, is based around the idea of rewarding good quality posts so that they become the most visible on the platform and in essence ensures that the cream will rise to the top. Given that quality is subjective, we each have a responsibility to represent our own perspective of what quality content is for us, by giving it our seal of approval by way of an upvote. To sell your vote to someone else, in my view, is to misrepresent your own perspective and allow another to gain more weight by adding your voice to it. But there is little or no quality control, since you are allowing anyone to buy a vote for any post.
In buying a vote, you are misrepresenting your own time, effort and labour, by however large or small an amount, as worth more than that of someone else. No matter how well you feel you have written your article, how much time you feel you have spent creating your masterpiece artwork or how much effort you went to in order to research and compile relevant and important information, you have no right to feel that your efforts deserve more reward than anyone else’s. If what you have to share is enjoyed by and/or of use to others then it will surely find the reward it deserves and if not then it will still find the reward it deserves, which may be nothing at all.
That is how I feel about it anyway.
In both cases, you are misappropriating rewards for your own benefit, which could and should be going towards giving a truer and more representative reflection of the platform to all who use it, both now and in future.
This is not the same as delegating SP. I understand that there are those with a large amount of SP who have a difficult time distributing it fairly and so delegating to another member or members of the community who you know to be good, honest and fair curators is, in my view, an acceptable concession and actually one I feel would better suit the platform if implemented properly, giving a better overall view and representation of the content on the site.
Perhaps I am wrong but I feel like I have some sort of responsibility when using steemit to act morally and responsibly and also to set an example by my actions. In the real world, life is full of moral dilemnas which can be difficult to avoid given that almost all behaviour is regulated these days. Acting outside of these regulations can make you a target for the state and their bullies, so we are forced to learn behaviour that goes against our morals and ethics as a survival mechanism.
For example, I would say it is immoral for anyone who has used their own labour to add value to someone else’s life to be forced to hand over part of the fruits of that labour to a third party who adds no value at all. If we do not behave or do not consent to follow regulations that go against our own beliefs, we will soon find resistance to our morality at our doorsteps.
Steemit though, does not suffer that problem. There are no rules or rulers here. Our actions are determined by ourselves and we can hold no one else responsible for them. That is why what we do and how we conduct ourselves is so important because it sets an example for others to follow.
I would like to point out to anyone who hadn't yet realised it but we are all in a position of responsibility for setting an example by our actions, whether we accept that responsibility or not. We all have followers, some more than others and we all follow other users as well. I don't think there is anyone who could argue that we all have an influence on each other in some way, large or small. We are all products of our environments and have become who we are by watching and learning our behaviours from others, whether good or bad, whether from family members growing up, peer groups or so called authority figures.
Examples are set each and every day for us to follow and we all need to be careful with regards to following the right ones. It's also important for us to give due consideration to the examples we are setting for others, whether that be our family members, our peer groups or our followers on steemit. This is especially true for those with the most influence and power on the platform. How these members of our 'community' choose to go about their 'business' and the example they set for the rest of us by their actions will have a direct affect on not only the platforms success but also its integrity.
Steemit is, as I said, a place where we are free to do as we please. I have no right to tell you, or anyone else, how you should or should not be using the platform or your stake in it. I can however attempt to persuade you to change your thoughts and feelings so that they are more in line with my own and I will be quite honest and open in admitting that this is a large part of why I’m writing this post but another part is that I am open to hearing what others have to say on the subject, especially those who disagree with me and even though I am admittedly pretty set in my views on the matter, I am still open to hearing the thoughts of others in the hope that I might see things from a different perspective, have the opportunity to re-assess my feelings and also to either reinforce my position or change it, depending on the new information I’ve gained. I told you, I’m not perfect, so I could very well be wrong. If you think I am, then please tell me why.
If I am being completely honest, there is a very small part of me that wonders why I am even bothering and why I don’t just accept the inevitable. Part of me that says I should accept steemit for what it is becoming rather than what it could be and make the most of my time here financially while the getting is good. A part of me that wonders why I am choosing to spend my time here at all???
I don't think I'm the only one having these thoughts. I think a large majority of users on steemit are trying to use the site fairly but are suffering frustration at seeing unfair behaviour being rewarded without repercussion and also at the difficulty they seem to be having in getting their work seen because they don’t ‘play the game’.
A large part of the reason I spend as much of my time on steemit as I do though, is that I am trying to become a better man and overcome the weaknesses that I’ve allowed to be built up inside me. I know exactly what it would take in order to be ‘successful’ on this platform but I am not willing to sacrifice my morality by paying lip service to others or focusing my attention on producing posts that certain members of the community might vote on, so I dismiss these selfish thoughts and remind myself that money cannot buy me happiness.
I know this from personal experience and it is one of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned in my thirty eight years of life so far. I've had times of relative wealth in my life as well as times of relative poverty and can say that my time as a wealthy man was not as happy as those times of poverty. Of course, this is just my experience, it may not be your own.
What Steemit Is To Me.
We all seem to have a different interpretation of what steemit is to each of us, so I thought I’d share with you a little of what steemit is to me.
It's a place where, as free men and women, we can meet, talk and exchange ideas, even debate those ideas, in a polite, courteous and respectful manner. It's a place where we have the ability to reward one another for our efforts in adding value to the community by way of sharing information and ideas, providing entertainment in the form of singing , dancing, telling stories or producing works of art, for proposals to improve life for all, by launching and growing initiatives designed to help those in difficult situations or even for the support we show one another for our efforts, as well as being a place where we have the ability to band together and help those in need.
It's a place where I can also freely share my own thoughts with the world and perhaps be rewarded in some small way by those who feel the thoughts I’ve shared add value to either the platform itself or better still, their lives. It's a place where I can let loose my ideas and set them free on the wind to find the ears of anyone who wants to hear them, without expectation. It’s a place where I can learn new skills and refine my understanding of the world and my place within it. It’s a place with so much positive potential.
It’s place of anarchy, without rules or rulers, where every man and woman has the personal freedom to act and behave as they choose and where they bare the personal responsibility for the consequences of their actions.
It's a place that, if we wanted it to, could change the world as we know it.
Right now though, it doesn’t feel that way.
There are now so many ways to increase your 'rewards' that there is no longer really any need to interact or curate the works of others. Of course, interacting with the 'right' people and 'playing the game' can increase your potential 'rewards' even further but this is not exactly social interaction and the exchange of ideas, rather it is that age old game of looking after the interest of the self by networking with those you know are able to propel you to greater heights and doing so for that reason.
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. That statement holds true in the real world and also in the steemit world. Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't mean that it's morally acceptable for you to do the same. What will it say to a new user when the first post they see is yours and that you have bought most of your rewards???
What sort of example are you setting?
With Great Power Comes Great Resposibility.
I would suggest that those of us who have high rep scores are seen, whether rightly or wrongly, as leaders within the community and whilst I would say that it is the resposibility of everyone to act in a way that sets a positive example for others to follow, I would also add that those who are seen as leaders have slightly more responsibility in ensuring this is the case, so please lead by example.
Cheers. :)
