The cryptocurrency STEEM is the token associated directly with the STEEM blockchain. It is created through a system called proof of work - commonly known around the blockchain as 'proof of brain'. It is rewarded to witnesses that secure the blockchain by writing all the transactions to the publicly accessible ledger.

The way this particular graphene chain is designed, it can handle massive amounts of data and transactions in a single 'block'. The vast majority of these transactions come when people use applications and dapps, built by entepreneurial developers, to post their content to the STEEM blockchain. Some of the more popular ones are Steemit - which is a socially designed blogging platform similar to the likes of Tumblr, DTube - which is a video platform akin to YouTube and also Partiko - which is a mobile dapp that resembles Facebook.

All of these (and hundreds more) give your audience the ability to vote in favor (or disapproval) of your posts thereby giving the content creator rewards as proof of work, proving that they 'have a brain'. As this STEEM blockchain grows, more layers and adaptations will be made to accommodate the expanding user base by responding to their suggestions. These will include (and won't be limited to) gaming, social platforms, forums, video, photography, marketplaces, business(es) and a multitude of others.

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