Do any of you remember that do you remember that Vice article Corin Faife wrote?
He said " glance at the homepage shows that a lot of popular content tends towards the amateurish and introspective". I keep thinking about that phrase, is he right?
I read that article twice because that's what good writing compels you to do: read it again.
It's one of the steemit article that I really really enjoyed. I read a good chunk of good stuff, because i follow a lot of low rep /high-quality people and they never never make trending, why?
You can argue all you want that it's a lottery and that it takes time and etc etc, but let's be honest for a second, it's because their articles are hard to read, hard to digest.
It's easier to upvote a cool title and a nice photo. Of course, it is. But to what end?
But the bigger question looms: IS this what steemit wants to be?
It is the place where spending long hours o research and write a good piece gets shit but a word-vomit, with no depth or reason about... love, makes all the money?
You can see that I link @msgivings because well, that's one of the worst examples ever. Now, she has fallen, finally the scrutiny brought her plagiaristic ways to the light but....should we be happy?!
We shouldn't because she won, she just took out 10.000$ yesterday. That's a serious number of times MORE than I made, more than most of YOU made. That's just an insult to good writers, good content creators, good steemit fans! It's also very very bad news for Steemit.
And I must say, I didn't even mind her superficial and stupid subjects. I will upvote something that is well written. FUCK IT!, blow my mind with the writing. I'll upvote even if I despise your opinion, even if i think you re dead wrong. Because for me, writing is MAGIC. Words have POWER. And a good wielder of the gift gets my admiration no matter which side of the truth he fights on.
I upvoted Corin and I have no doubts in my mind why he is a PAID journalist for a TOP site[Vice]. Because he delivers at a level that few can, that's why for him, making 1000$ for a steemit article is not worth the investment unless guaranteed.
Yet when I see who's trending, I see no reason why they're there [ exceptions apply ].
Good writing? no, not even close.
Profound subject? Nah. then what? why?
I'm seriously disappointed but should I really be? Maybe that's what STEEMIT is, or wants to be.
At this moment, Steemit is more Buzzfeed than VICE.
This article by msgivings is garbage and everybody voted on it. Why? I ask again WHY??*
I understand that the controversy of it all brings attention but at what cost??
The message was: "If he cheats on you, might be your fault". That's MEDIEVAL! IS this a message we want trending for 2 days on steemit?!
And maybe, maybe! if you had some smart, interesting, challenging argument but no, not at all. What's more, even msgvings admits in one of the comments " it's just my opinion, funny thing, it changes very day!"
Is that supposed ot be funny?! hahaha.HA! Youknow what this is? This is the very definition of a feeble mind, yet her persona surely thinks it's cute. haha, the silly feeble woman writing silly stuff and being taken so serious but bad, mean, not-fun people.
And why not? he/she is a woman hater who sees woman as nothing more than that. Just look at the pictures she chose, just look at the articles...but she's always trending, always making money..while serious, well researched, good articles die in oblivion.
Isn't this sad?
Maybe it isn't. Why should it be?
But at least make it clear: this is what Steemit is! This is what's rewarded: FLUFF.
This is what we upvote: small-minded nothingness.
At least, some people will be saved the frustration of trying. And I personally know a lot of them who are, after only one month of steemit, burned out. Tired of trying. And try they did....
Are these people haters? quiters? I don't think so, most are really hard-working and believer in Steemit but they too are getting tired of a trending page that DISCOURAGES instead of ENCOURAGES good content and effort.
But if it is so, that Steemit signals that it favors superficial, weak, plagiarist writers, let's cut the bullshit with "good content".
Steemit doesn't want "good content" which means " you don't want good authors" in turn you don't want "quality people" in turn you don't give a fuck, as long as it works, or at least as long as it works.
I know some people will read this and think I'm an elitist. "go read Hemingway and leave us be" one might think. "Can't I write my article in peace?". one might ask.
Yes, you can. Sure you can. Hell, I encourage you to do just that.
But it shouldn't get thousand of rewards. Because while a few will cash out some good money and laugh all the way to the bank, Steemit will be dead because money in itself will not have enough pull for good content creators. PERIOD.
It seems to me, people forget, that the internet exists. I read 10-20 AMAZING articles per day, only one max is on steemit, people out there write. Put their hearts in writing. Research to the bone. Then create a great article.
Can something like this exist on steemit?
I think not at this pace, I think never if this trend continues. Hell, just look at medium front page and those people AREN'T getting paid!
I'm ending this by asking you, the whales, is that the way you see this going? I'm calling for a bit of clarification @dantheman, @ned is that why you upvote all that, all the time. If so, how exactly do you think this Steemit-experiment will ever take off?
BUT:
IF you do have a vision of a place that can nurture, grow, help, encourage and push to the limit the best of content creators.
IF you do want this Steemit to be the homepage of great stuff on the internet.
IF you do dream that one day, "I'm a content creators on Steemit" will be the " I work for VICE" of that day.
THINGS NEED TO CHANGE.
I hope we can all start seriously working on that direction, together. Some initiatives are already on the way: RobinHoodWhale and Project Curie are amazing steps in the right direction but they alone can't do much. We, the dolphins and minnows are trying. but we alone can't do much. We need you all, the whales, on our side. On the side of good content. On the side of real effort.
We need more, we need more faster or else a new @msgivings a new @mrron will be trending again, another nail in the coffin.
I SO SO SO don't want this to be the case.