Reddit, as a community, feels like the biggest well-kept secret on the internet. People don’t like to talk about it in public, people treat it as though its this hidden nightclub that they have exclusive access to. The reality, of course, is that reddit is part of a large corporation. It’s not hidden, its not that special and its not unique. Reddit isn’t the best community out there by a long shot, and its getting worse all the time. Steemit has started to gain traction, with celebrities, bloggers and average people stopping by to contribute. As a Redditior, I tried to be active in the community, submitting info, moderating subs and having fun. It’s been my main source of news for years, but the last few months have grown increasingly frustrating. After spending a few days here, these are the biggest differences I’ve noticed. Some are big pluses, some are things I’m wary of. I’m interested to see how this evolves.
Karma vs Cash
In the pursuit for imaginary internet points, users of reddit will post funny, insightful, or noteworthy content. Many are there to be a part of something bigger, but many seek the same glory in being told by your parents or teachers that they did a good job. An upvote is a proverbial pat on the back, not just for a moment, but for the lifetime of your account. Comparing your points against the points of another in a dick measuring contest that will always be skewed. Posting a picture of a cat can earn thousands of upvotes, while posting long thought out and worked on pieces of writing may only receive a few. This encourages the Karma Seekers to post content that has little real value, and shift towards the same stuff, over and over, trying to never unsettle the Hivemind of reddit. Doing away with downvotes and focusing on a reward system for content, Steemit has cleverly incentivized people to contribute. The almost-too-good-to-be-true aspect of getting paid for your pictures, articles and content drives people to create quality content. Earning a financial reward that can be cashed in immediately, but also partially being locked in over time is a fantastic motivator to drive quality posts. To me, the best part of the Steemit system so far is that it encourages people to speak their mind without fear of repercussion. This means that even if you post 99% great content, people can’t punish you for disagreeing with the 1%. This brings me to the next great thing about Steemit.
Originality
Without fear of being shunned completely based on 1 post, people are able to truly speak their minds. Without the threat of being ‘downvoted into oblivion’ people are free to take a stance. Others might not agree with your stance, but not agreeing is different that not being allowed to take it. The days of Redditors petty attitudes to each other and trying to silence others with a barrage of blue arrows raining down is over. If you don’t like something, don’t just downvote it, respond to it. Personally, I’m not a fan of the idea of anarchy, which seems to be a common theme on Steemit so far, but I’m also learning more about it than I ever have before. I can’t just silence it with the push of a button. Now, if I want to show my disagreement, I have to back it up by writing why. It creates a discussion. For myself, and hopefully others too, Learning something is just as good as Earning something. The few cents that I’ve earned so far is nothing compared to the information I’ve learned from this site.
The Faces of Steemit
Reddit has celebrities, which always struck me as odd. I’m not talking about people that are promoting their recent film or book, but people that show up in every thread and comment a hundred times a day. People that are expected to show up. That people are excited to see. People that you’d never pick out if you walked by them on a street or sat next to them on a bus. The persona of these reddit users, and of all reddit users doesn’t need to be the person that you truly are. Reddit can act more like a Hydra, with one account being blocked, or downvoted, 2 more can quickly takes its place. One person can hold whole threads of conversations with themselves on multiple accounts, and we are powerless to stop them from doing so. From astroturfing content, to bots controlling votes, the faceless masses of reddit are becoming more faceless and voiceless every day. Perhaps the future holds the same for Steemit. As the site grows it will attract a variety of different users, posting a plethora of content. People are encouraged to post who they are. Not just a name, not just a picture, but their values and their lives. Steemit promotes people saying what is truly on their minds, and the Hive mind mentality of Reddit has yet to take hold. For now, everyone has a face. For now, everyone has a voice.
For now.