I posted this tweet a few days ago, and I really wanted to delve deeper into my thoughts as to why I think there is an observable cultural split between STEEM and HIVE. I know we've all had our fill of STEEM/HIVE related posts, but here is another one.
https://twitter.com/joshman/status/1248089869496111106
Witnessing the hard fork of STEEM into HIVE, was more than a technical feat to me. It was more than an escape from an authoritarian snake oil salesman. It was a complete cultural divergence, of those who wish to own, versus those who wish to be owned. Was it executed perfectly? Far from it. Is the initial distribution ideal? Also a no. Are these concerns correctable over the long term? On STEEM that proposition is highly dubious, since those who seize control in such a way will seldom relinquish it. I like the chances of HIVE achieving its potential much more.
Appeal To Authority
In the past, Steemit, INC. was the ultimate gatekeeper for the technical roadmap of STEEM, and also for massive Steem Power delegations. Now that Justin Sun has taken on that mantle, you can add witness voting and proposal funding to that list as well. You pepper in some API filtering for dissenting opinions, and denial of service for certain accounts deemed unfriendly, and you have the makings of an autocratic dictatorship. Even now as we watch things on STEEM unfold, those who crave to be led around by the nose, have risen to the top with their hats held firmly in their outstretched hands, hoping for some recognition by their new all-powerful leader.
The Divergence Of Archetypes
During my tenure on STEEM, I noticed a few personality archetypes that were in constant conflict, they included:
Those who understand the core tenets of blockchain
These folks cared about concepts such as decentralization and immutability. They understood that the only way to ensure a blockchain is to remain accessible and inclusive to a global audience, is to guarantee it actually retains the vital characteristics of a blockchain. Compare that to...
Those who don't understand the core tenets of blockchain
Let's face it, some people aren't technical at all. They discovered Steemit as a cool place to post and rake in some rewards, and who can blame them? It really doesn't matter to them if a single entity controls all the nodes.
Those who value freedom of speech, personal responsibility, and independence
Who doesn't value these concepts? You'd be surprised how few people actually do value them in practice. To these people a central authority such as Justin Sun is just plain repugnant. Contrast that to...
Those who seek leadership or personality worship
Let me be blunt here, the majority of humans on the planet have an innate desire to be herded about, to be led around by the nose. They lust for what they perceive as a powerful leader to enhance their standing or save them. They see an individual with apparent vast resources, and are eager to relinquish control to them with the rather pathetic hope that this individual will have their best interests in mind. Relate that to...
Those who seek true ownership
STEEM had traditionally always belonged to Steemit, Inc. Those of us who held any meaningful amount of stake were just along for the ride. They owned the roadmap, they owned the code, and they owned major mechanisms for incentivization. The fork to HIVE represented not only a fundamental shift in ownership, but more importantly a fundamental shift in the perception of ownership. Something you feel actual ownership of, you are less likely to become...
Those who wish to extract value at the expense of everyone else
Some individuals and large demographic subsets bought STEEM for a singular reason, and that was to extract value at any cost. To squeeze every last drop possible from the reward pool as quickly as possible. They developed complex schemes, such as circle jerks, vote trading, and vote buying. Later, some of these schemes were enhanced and more difficult to track through Tribes and Steem-engine tokens. From what I can observe, this type of behavior is far less tolerated on HIVE, even by those who partook of that same behavior on STEEM.
And So The Great Split Happened...
And in the bastardized words of JFK, a theme emerges:
On Steem
Ask not what you can do for STEEM, but what STEEM can do for you.
On Hive
Ask not what HIVE can do for you, but what you can do for HIVE.
I read this with interest. An observation about both blockchains: For the little fish/worker bees who cannot afford to invest anything other than sweat equity, they frankly, have little choice other than go with the flow/storm. They (we) are the collateral damage. As are the smaller investors who have lost hand over fist as both Steem and Hive plummet.
I cannot disagree with your sentiments on decentralization and freedom of speech. I wholeheartedly endorse them. I am also a proponent of tolerance. Which brings me to my final point, and one I have made often on posts like this over the nearly three years I have been on Steem/Hive: all too often, both concepts (decentralization and freedom of speech) are open to subjective interpretation and the basis of eternal conflict. It's the way of the world.
Thanks for your comments. Nothing created by humans will ever be perfect. The best we can do with such a revolutionary technology is try to read tea leaves. Right now they are telling me that the other place I used to enjoy is being ruled from the top down. I can deal with interpersonal conflict, but that is unacceptable.
Excellent analysis!
I have also felt that now that people are responsible for their own destiny (on Hive) they are achieving so much more.
Thanks, we just can't lose that momentum!
I do have some hope that Hive is going to be community minded, but I will still have to just hold out for hope, and wait to see if things really do change. I think they can change, I hope people can understand that the change is going to take time, I do feel we have a good group of developers working for the Hive community, and we do have a location where people can find out what is happening via the @hiveio account. I wish more people were following it, I wish more people were aware of it,and I wish more people would interact with them. I hope people do not see the page/account as a centralized authority, but more as the local grocery store bulletin board.
I agree that it will take time, and perhaps even potentially more time than a top-down driven approach of a single entity (such as Steemit Inc. or JS) would provide. As an iteration of Steem, I believe this has a better chance of retaining the aspects of Steem that brought me to it in the first place.
I listened to the chat the dev's had, it was pretty good, a lot of technical stuff, but still I was able to understand some of it. SMT are going to be worked on, I think it is good they are taking a first single step to get the full airdrop/separation from steem. SMT's, Witness selection/retention, and a few other things were mentioned. From the gist of the conversation, it seemed that not all were looking forward to the SMT stuff, but they accepted and recognized that it is something a lot of user were looking forward to. So they are going to continue with it. I am looking forward to the chat on the 20th, even if I have to listen to a recorded version.
I think most people do realize that Rome was not built in a day, as the saying goes.
You pretty much said it like it is. Those who came over to Hive (for the most part) are trying to build something worthwhile. The Steem loyalists are pretty much in competition for who has the best knee pads and the most expensive lip moisturizer.
I know where I'm putting my money.
In a few weeks, we're going to have a bunch of new dolphins, orcas, and whales. Everyone is converting their Steem to Hive. It's nice to be able to upvote comments with a 15% vote and be over the dust threshold. The @dustbunny won't have to work too hard when he comes back online.😄
I agree. If people want to live in that world they are welcome to it. I never came to Steem to beg for crumbs from an autocratic ruler.
@joshman I get it, but I have been in a slump ever since the split. I am hearing voices crying from the rooftops, mine included in the beginning, that we are free and decentralized.
Are we really?
I am already starting to see the same ugliness appear here that was on Steemit, like the downvote arguments, "voting circle" arguments and more. All the while, those with coin (whales) dictating the conversation through the threat of downvotes and such.
Just done drinking the Kool-aid of both Steem and Hive right now. A little demotivated as I thought this drama would stay on Steem, but alas here we are.
Theses sites deal with voting for monetary value. Most of the same people are on both blockchains. Of course there will be disputes and conflict. There are also going to be bullies, who need to be outed. If you want to exist in a walled garden, where playing nice is enforced from the top down, it's probably not the place for you. I have no illusions about it, it is not for everyone, nor should an attempt made to make it that way. But as traditional social media continues to tighten its grip on human interaction, outlets like this will only become more attractive. The last thing that I want is a centralized authority to appeal to, for people seeking safe spaces. One person's safe space is another one's hell.
Beleive me, the last thing I want is a place where free speech is stifled. Safe places have never been in my vocab.
I love being told I am being an asshat or a wuss, even when I do not think I'm acting like one. I love dissenting opinions as it makes me think. What I do hate are those who would use their "power", in this case HP or SP to stiffle opposing views or retaliate against those who speak out against them and those they associate with.
Guess, I am just in a rut right now. Keep on keeping me honest friend.
This is deep
"On Hive
Ask not what HIVE can do for you, but what you can do for HIVE."
That question keep puddt in my heart now. What can I do for hive and why should I be focused on it much more than what hive can do for me
Glad I could inspire you. Cheers!
Nicely stated!
Feels different here, I'm hopeful of better times ahead.
Thanks, that it does! It's in our hands now!
Well said....
Much appreciated!
pudding