Just jumping on the bandwagon, here, as I've seen a lot of posts comparing the two.
Ultimately, the two are comparable in the sense that they're both quick methods of sharing images with an audience. Like on Instagram, images of pretty much anything can be posted to Steepshot but of course, there is no centralised censorship algorithm or reporting system.
Here are some initial thoughts:
1) They're both all-positive.
By this, I mean that these kind of image posting systems revolve around positivity. Everyone is looking for exposure, promotion, or a simple means of sharing anything and everything with an audience wider that they can access on say Facebook. Generally, the result is a respectful ecosystem and on the whole, I think genuine values are promoted through both platforms. It's a bit of a different thing altogether than on social medias like Facebook or Twitter which make an easy platform for rants, controversial statements and abuse. The respect of strangers is fulfilling and the strategy to further your own account is by being friendly and positive about other people's images - it's a positive cycle. I'd say that Steepshot encourages this more, though. The fact that it is new and somewhat of a 'step into the unknown' tends to pull people together into co-operation and mutual respect. I think similar can be said of Steemit as a whole.
2) Instagram discourages
the genuine viewing of images whilst Steepshot encourages it.
Steepshot is just a slower platform due to the way it works with the blockchain. Someone please correct me on that if I'm wrong - it is possible that the designers simply wanted it to take longer to 'like' a photo, etc. Either way, the result is that you probably end up looking at the images for longer. On Instagram, you can scroll through photos and 'like' them and follow people, etc, very quickly.
3) Posting on Instagram is a more calculated affair whereas Steepshot is more random.
What I mean by this is that Instagram is a pretty self-conscious form of social media. There's definitely an image or stereotype/status-quo associated with it and also a feeling that whilst people act positively, there's some subversion. On one hand, this means that content posted on Instagram is more refined or thought-out. I think that's good if you're posting art or photography, or other creative work, but it is also a little contrived. Steepshot is more of a photo-blog, from what I've noticed so far. Positives and negatives.
4) Image quality is better on Steepshot
Of course, there is a lot of creative work getting posted to Steepshot and it looks great! The resolution of images is maintained more effectively than on Instagram.
Whichever way you look at it, the most interesting thing about Steepshot is the community-based reward system. For now, it may be a double-edged sword as you can post as many images as you want, pretty much, and if you're earning even a cent or two on each one then they'll add up. Does this encourage spammy behaviour? Maybe. I'm undecided!
What do you think?
