I felt like I'd been here for over a month, but it turns out it's only been two weeks!
Earlier today, I was telling a friend all about Steemit. I told him I'd signed up about a month ago, and was scrolling through my blog to show him the kinds of things I'd posted about and which ones I'd made money on. We reached the bottom of the page when he asked me where the rest of my posts were. I pointed to my introduceyourself post and told him that was the first one.
"But it says that was posted two weeks ago," he said.
I was shocked to find that he was right! It may not seem like such a big thing from an outsider's perspective, but it was one of those minor reality-shaking moments, like having déjà vu, or waking up on your first day in a new place and for a moment thinking you're still in your own bed.
I genuinely believed that I'd been Steeming for many weeks already. Hell, I was rattling off an in-depth explanation of the Steem system like a pro and acting as though I'd been around from the very start! Needless to say, it was quite sobering to discover that I am, in fact, still a major Steemnoob.
As a student of psychology, I was very interested in figuring out just how my experience of Steemit had altered my perceptions in this way. It's not simply that I've been spending every waking hour on here, because I haven't. In fact, I've mostly just traded my Facebook and other general surfing time for Steemit time (an interesting observation in itself), which amounts to no more than a few hours a day.
After much pondering, and a little research, I came up with a few interesting theories about the factors that had contributed to my 'missing weeks' on Steemit:
1. Steemit is incredibly immersive - to the point of being addictive
Think about all the time you spend on Facebook (or, if you're like me, used to spend). For a lot of people, this was the peak of internet immersion - endlessly scrolling through your newsfeed, reading and liking and sharing away, but for the most part, interacting with your 'friends' only on a surface level. Still, it was the best thing out there that provided a steady stream of information along with the addictive endorphin kick of human interaction. That addictive aspect is presumably why most of us can barely remember a time without it - even though it's only been around for a little over ten years.
With Steemit, we have most of the psychological drawing cards of Facebook, with a lot extra. For a start, the information we're receiving is way more intelligent and interesting, because the motivation to make it so is built right into the system. So is the motivation to interact and connect with other users of the network through posting, voting, and commenting. And of course, we get an added, supercharged endorphin rush from actually giving and receiving money, adding another powerful level of interaction.
2. It's new, it's exciting, and it's obsessive
Because Steemit is so new, and so new to me, I find I'm thinking about it frequently even when I'm not actively using it. Like most of us, I'm grappling with the system in my mind, trying to understand and leverage it better to improve my chances of success, and thinking of ways it could be improved. I also enjoy the experience of Steemit as an entirely novel way of sharing ideas and expressing myself.
It's a bit like meeting a new person for the first time and spending the rest of the day talking to them - by the end of the conversation, you feel like you've known that person for a long time, and you enjoy that feeling - even though you're aware on some level that it isn't accurate.
3. Everyone wants to be ahead of the trend
This one's purely egotistical, of course. With anything like Steemit that's still in its infancy and has the potential for so much more growth and profit in the future, we all want to have the prestige of having been smart enough to get on the train at the first station. This can lead people (like me) to exaggerate the amount of time they've been using it, if not to impress people, than at least to make themselves feel like they've really got their finger on the pulse.
For instance, I met a guy the other day who was talking at length about Bitcoin and how he'd gotten in "super early while the price was really low". When I asked him when he'd bought his first coins he replied, "uh...last year sometime, I think". Case in point.
4. I'm investing my time, money, and creativity - and I want to see returns
On Steemit, as in life, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch - you have to put a lot in to get a lot out. While it sure does feel like I've written a lot of posts and made a fair amount of money, it turns out those numbers are actually much lower than I would have guessed. I can only assume that my mind is trying to trick itself into believing that my investment thus far has been substantial enough to guarantee substantial returns, whereas in fact, I've barely scratched the surface.
I've realized I'm going to have to be vigilant about making this assumption, and avoid falling into the trap of relaxing my efforts before I've actually made them, if I'm going to succeed as an author.
5. I'm still in the honeymoon phase
Obviously the reality is that I'm still very new to Steemit. My excitement about discovering it hasn't quite worn off yet, and I feel as though it's going to be a great relationship. Of course I want to feel that the foundations of this relationship are strong and will stand the test of time, so I'm probably exaggerating them to myself as much as anyone else.
As with many relationships, there's a chance I might get frustrated with the inconsistency of it all and want to stop wasting my time on something that has no guarantees. But there's also the chance I'll be rewarded for my efforts, and that they'll develop into something great that will last me the rest of my life.
If, by subtly altering my perception of time over these last few weeks, Steemit has caused me (and others) to feel a greater belongingness and familiarity with the network, while simultaneously encouraging me to continue contributing as much as possible, then on a psychological level it's working better than anyone could have hoped!
Has anyone else had a similar experience with Steemit - or am I just going slightly mad?
Hello Doctor, welcome to your TARDIS. We will take you where you need to be.
oh yeah...i feel that time has stood still for the 2 weeks!! i daren't look around at what i should be doing its going to be scary
My advice is to try not to think about it. Denial is bliss!