Are Steemians a different breed of human?
In a way I think we are. Some of the best conversations of my life have been with Steemians. I think that is because there is a gathering of like minds here. I don't mean that we agree on everything; we definitely don't. Instead, I'm referring to the fact that most of us seem to be thinkers. We aren't content to simply consume the world around us; we want to question it too; change it, interact.
There's a reason for this, I think. Especially in these early days, it takes something special to be a Steemian. Most people I have told about Steem balk at the concept right away ("sounds like a scam"), and those who are initially receptive seem to lose interest after finding out they would need to use several exchanges to "get any real money out of it." (Hah!)
Even some people who stick around for a while find that it's too much to take and leave. Either they can't handle the price dropping (see ya!), or they can't handle the drama, or feel that something about the platform is "unfair." The result is that the remainder of us tend to have similar views and tendencies, at least about Steem and crypto in general: you will pry it from our cold, dead hands. And I think, in a broad sort of way, there is just something special about Steemians.
So, I am left to wonder... are we a different breed here? Has this platform naturally selected for intelligent, strong-willed individuals? Is that why I find so many of the people I meet here to be the most interesting humans I've ever met?
By Foundry on Pixabay. CC-0.
I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
If my theory is correct, all the Steemians on the platform right now are so cool because only cool people are left. Only those that came here and remain here today have been selected and repeatedly re-selected through all sorts of trials and tribulations; through market drops, chain freezes, and other sorts of metaphorical obstacle courses they face simply by being early adopters. Well then; to me, the eventual widespread popularity of a more user-friendly Steem is a double-edged sword. Eventually, the influx of "normal" people will begin, and the days of Steem being a cute little village of nerds will end.
All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again. In 1993, it happened on Usenet, when America Online decided to open the floodgates by granting every single AOL user access to the newsgroup platform. Now, Usenet denizens were used to this sort of invasion; it happened every September, after all, when the new batch of first-year university students were introduced to this new exciting thing and had absolutely no idea how to conduct themselves. Eventually they'd either figure things out, or they'd decide it wasn't for them and log off, never to be seen again.
But this time, it was different. This time, September never ended. They called it the Eternal September. The "old guard" were completely overrun by the newcomers who, by sheer force of numbers, completely redefined the culture of the place. From the eyes of the early adopters, Usenet was never the same again.
I believe that we must accept our fate.
I will still do what I can to make Steem more welcoming to the less curious; the less technically inclined. I will do what I can to make it safer for people who don't understand cryptography. I will do these things because I am certain that it is the right thing to do. Decentralisation should not be a privilege reserved for nerds.
But... it sure is nice to be here right now, isn't it? 🍋
Posted from my blog with SteemPress.