"$100 per STEEM is not a pipe-dream at this point."
One can only wish... If Steemit comes to be this platform with the vision you describe (and SMTs being a success) then yes, I see this happen. But honestly it's only speculation as of now, even though the Steem blockchain has a headstart with its current utility. Once EOS comes around competition could quickly take over...
Still, I think Steemit pays fairly even with the current value, but in the long term, $100 would be great, given that we've had some time to accumulate.
That competition increasing the value of Steem itself and bringing more users here...