It started as an innocent need for upvotes. Not an addiction but a desire. People would post once or twice a day. Then three times... Then four. They would ask for upvotes in their posts. Then the started to ask for them in the comments. Upvote for an upvote popped up in different posts. But it was harmless. Until the day things took a turn. No longer did people want upvotes but they needed them. They craved them like a drug and that is when things got dark.
At first there was the offer of sexual favours. The things that people would do for an upvote. They would meet in back alleys with their steem account open. The smart ones got their upvote first. Some people were paying for them with cash. With more money than the vote was worth itself. The steem value would go up they said. A black market was opened. People would sell their upvotes for money and other goods. It still exists today, in the hidden world of the dark net.
If you look deep enough you can find it, just don't get that first upvote, it can be very addicting....
Just kidding! This site can be pretty addictive though. At least you are getting paid to post, there are a lot worse and costlier addictions.
*my upvotes/rep disclaimer: https://steemit.com/steemit/@whatageek/my-steemit-account-where-i-stand-on-bots-self-votes-and-multiple-account