On Steemit someone can make $5 a day blogging
And I would understand most Americans would think $5 a day is not enough to live. $5 a day is $150 a month. $150 a month means a lot because a human can get their entire food supply off $5 a day even in the United States.
See these examples:
If a Steemit poster can just get $5 a day they can afford food even in the United States. This of course won't necessarily be tasty food but it will be enough calories to subsist. At $10 a day a Steemit poster can afford to eat very well by any standards. When you up vote a blogger on Steemit you very possibly and literally could be paying for their food.