This post is part of the Why Am I Still Here? - Initiative by @theycallmedan
Background
I discovered Steemit at the end of the year 2017. At this time I had my second and the biggest wave of interest in crypto-markets. Just before the big rush. I studied top100 projects on CoinMarketCap one by one to have a notion of what else blockchain technology is able to achieve.
But why cryptocurrencies? I have spent around 7years of my life examining what and why it doesn't work in the world, I treated it as a hobby, but also I always wanted to be part of positive change around me. During these years I dived into many topics, looking for answers, ecology, conspiracy theories, psychology, economic and banking system, globalization, alternative thinking, and activism, but the blockchain was the biggest discovery for me. I saw a crypto-light.
In one moment I understood that the future is decentralized. I moved most of my resources (time, savings, energy) to research this space and various possibilities it may bring to the world. At this time most of the crypto-assets were in their infant phase, most of the blockchain's activity was pure speculation. I have to admit it's not much better today. Revolution to come is a great one, and it's obvious it needs time to incubate.
Steemit adventure
Steemit was different though. There was actually a working, evolving, ecosystem, with community, rules, without ads, allowing people to monetize their content, and it had democratic model of governance. WOW! This is huge! It took me a few weeks to get familiar with Steemit culture, rules, and interface. And I started to look for my place in this ecosystem.
I remember a very warm and kind greeting and my first post's earnings exceeded all my expectations. It was really motivating for further work. Sometimes work on my post was very rewarding and sometimes deeply disappointing. Just like in my life, I didn't have a clear idea of what my Steemit account is going to be so I decided to treat it as my blog, just uploading anything I find interesting.
During this time I had my ups and downs and for some time I had to take a break from Steemit but I came back with a fresh attitude and ideas 2months ago. I've invested a big part of my savings in Steem because I still believe in the great potential of this project. Additionally, my Steemit experience gave me an opportunity to meet interesting people and to practice my English, and writing skills.
Is Steemit in danger?
And all the turmoil around Steemit takeover? I'm pretty sure one way or another we'll get of trouble thanks to the power of community. From the very beginning system wasn't truly decentralized and now we'are harvesting the fruit of previous neglect.
My heart is growing when I see all the resistance against the Chinese dictatorship. I hope we will be able to turn it into some constructive effort to convince Justin he's not gonna be the new Zuckerberg. Forking away just for the sake of maintaining values also wouldn't be the best for us, I think without any financial incentive for users Steemit will shrink drastically. I strongly believe we can find a new model that incorporates the stake of Sun and the interest of our community, only then we can go further and higher.
Even in a current situation, when I compare Steemit to the other social media platforms, and I mean both more and less centralized, it still is the best one as an alternative to digital feudalism we can observe elsewhere. An alive, engaged and diverse community was the biggest advantage here for me from the very beginning. This gives me hope for a brighter future. That's why I stay here! And earning money? It's all powered-up anyway!