I am just thinking out loud here, no specific arguments or conclusions drawn. But what is the reason for people to use Steemit to consume content?
I understand the "micro-tipping" problem it solves or does better than others, but what is the appeal from a user perspective to switch over from their Facebook feeds, YouTube feeds, Twitter feeds, and all other feeds where content is so effortlessly served to them...
Habits are so hard to brake, so when other platforms have engrained habitual use behavior, isn't it that much harder to switch over?
Is the Steemit site the answer? Another new place to go and habit to form?
Or would Steemit's future success be in it's integration with all other forms of content consumption? So that Steemit is not only a site to visit, but a way, the way, to aggregate quality content in its respective categories across various platforms, while compensating the content creators, aggregators, and the platforms...
Starting with the fundamentals. Content that is created to be consumed is best when quality content rises to the top through a natural filter, of course what quality is for a specific category is context dependent. The filtering process is what allows consumers to utilize their time more efficiently.
I'm not saying middlemen have been inefficient, the middle-people that sell and serve ads and provide the infrastructure to serve media/content and help create content to be consumed. However we have been progressing as a society towards a more decentralized content creation and compensation system. I think we are only still in the beginning of that transition. For example, YouTube creators using Patreon direct funding over sponsors and ad revenue, it is clear direct funding is more efficient for getting resources to creators and why they favor it!
The problem in a market has always been how to get information about the new products/content to the people who might want to buy/consume them. The Upvote fixes this issue in an efficient way!
So here is where technology has finally shown promise to unlock potential. Technology to allow the most efficient means for creator to recieve compensation directly from the consumer! Part of that technological advance is Steemit, and what Steemit could become!
What do you think?
I see something here, but I think the bigger opportunity for Steemit/Steem is still ahead in a different than current form.