I have to say that while much of what you say is true, it is also the underlying problem with Steemit that has caused j2r to bail. We each view the world differently, and success is therefore defined over 7 billion ways.
That being said, most of us have quite similar needs, and have received quite similar information and experiences. Most of us define success quite similarly.
Social primacy, economic gain, masturbatory pleasure... The SP you bought brought you these things, and j2r not buying them kept them from him.
I define my success quite differently, as I also was raised quite differently from most folks, on an island in Alaska. I don't care about money, or need to be widely admired by people. In the woods, money is of little use, and there aren't many people to be admired by.
There is an oligarchic hegemony on Steemit that has the vast majority of Steem, having mostly mined it before Steemit was published, and mining was ended. Were I to define my success by how much of the Steem I possess, I'd be measuring myself against those guys. I don't.
~10% of accounts on Steemit remain active after a year. This reflects the general incapability of folks to attain what they define as success in the oligarchic economy here.
I seek criticism of my ideas, and exposure to new ones. There's plenty of that on Steemit, and I have been successful at those goals. Things could be better, and I want them to be, but I also have expectations that they always can be better, so don't not expect that.
I think Steemit could be a way to change the world. For it to achieve that, it will have to transform radically, and I have no expectations regarding that. I do expect that either Steemit will achieve that, or another platform will.
The world will change, and how we define success will change with it.
Thanks!