@steemmatt, Many bloggers are here just for the money. At present prices it isn’t very rewarding unless you are at it 24/24. Even then, a day-job would usually pay better unless you are a “star” like @jerrybanfield or @sweetsssj (I estimate that she makes around $3000 a month. A good part of that comes from her own upvote). She could have earned it in any other investment.
On the other hand, many bloggers are here for the friends and community. An upvote of 1 cent is more than enough for them to feel there work is recognised. They don’t rely on steemit for food.
In any society you will find those who chase the money and those who are here for others.
I totally agree with your point about Jerry. My feeling is that he has addressed the ethics issues for which he was heavily criticised.
Imbalance of wealth: Yes, it exists in steemit. Inbalance of wealth is a feature of the world. Equalise and production stops. Nobody who is rich did something you or I couldn’t have done. We are just too late to the party.
Please don’t leave steemit. Keep blogging for pleasure and forget the money side of it. I have been following you for ages because I enjoy your blogs. I don’t choose to follow many people. I would hate to see them stop.
Thanks for taking the time to reply with this and below. It added some coal to the fire.
While it's not a strategy, I hope this platform and blockchain thrives so the end justifies the means. I'm not a social media person in general, so Steemit has been a new world for me. It's been fun, I've met a lot of people, learned, and earned SP, but seemingly just have to rebalance it within my priorities a bit.