I believe that the word that you are looking for is "clique" also known as:
"a small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them".
If steemit is going to become like that, it's going to turn off a lot of people and is completely the opposite of what attracted a lot of users here in the first place.
Steemit might not matter at all in this as the SMTs will make it a natural hing. Like some preferring twitter over instagram. Steem is the chain that matters, steemit just an access point.
I am here just to say that I have never thought about this
before especially Steemit being just an access point.
I am sitting here thinking... so how many access point can Steem have?
I see steemit as a brand but if it is merely an access point I see millions if not more possibilites.