Funding freedom of Media on Steem

It is very easy to complain about a system where we must essentially pay (or power up) in order to be able to interact when we have been trained that the internet is free. It isn't, there are server costs, development costs, bandwidth costs, infrastructure costs... the list goes on. People think that other social medias are free, you can comment as much as you want but, we all pay.

Everything has a price

The cost is not only the loss of freedoms, there is a financial cost also because they leverage the community data and sell it to advertisers who in turn drive product placement into the eyes of said community to extract value. If there was no profit in the process, they wouldn't do it and, it is literally a trillion dollar industry once you factor in all associated processes in the supply chain.

Steem is essentially a self-funded system which means users are responsible for keeping the lights on, something people who don't power up some of their earnings at least tend to miss. The internet never has been and never will be free but, if someone wants freedom from things like censorship, it has to be supported by an economy that promotes it. Steem is such an economy that is made possible because of investors willing to pay costs at various points in the supply chain.

Options and choices

The benefit is that if people are able to take the time to invest now, it becomes a self-perpetuating economy that can allow a massive number of people to interact freely (or cheaply) and still have the freedoms that they hope for, without the fears of being banned or controlled. Comparing Steem to a centralized social platform is incomparable unless one finds the common denominator that powers it, Value from a community.

Again, a benefit of Steem for (at least now) is that direct financial support isn't necessary if one is willing to take the time to work with the system, earn from the inflation pool and power up to a point where desired interaction is possible. In many ways, it is like building any skill set, it takes time and development, just like growing Steem Power to increase Resource Credits.

A hobby horse ride

People talk about Steem being a hobby place they like to interact but in general, hobbies have costs of equipment and materials, Steem is no different is it? And, if people see this only as a place to interact free of censorship and control of centralized authority, powering down is not necessary which means that there is an increasing ability to interact. The problem is that people want the benefits of the Steem blockchain but want it delivered in the same manner as the centralized platforms they complain about censorship, demonetization, fake news, insensitive algorithms and political agendas on.

At some point, to have the freedoms that some say they want, they are going to have to put their money where their mouth is and fund some part of it themselves as in a world still governed by economics and costs of service, none of the infrastructure is free. Where it is free for users, it is governed by central authorities and funded by the selling of personal data to target for the advertisers, take your pick.

Opt-in or out

This is an opt-in community and no one is forced to stay but with that option comes limitation and potentially, responsibilities and behavior patterns to remain a part of the community in a way one might want to be here. If one can't interact the way they choose at the moment because of a lack of RCs, then find a way to get more RCs. This can be done via powering up earnings, buying Steem and powering up or convincing a user who is powered up to donate their investment potential through delegation. There is always a cost.

For Steem to continually be able to function and provide service it requires a great deal of varied resources and a community that will invest into it and grow to a point where it can generate various forms of income, not just value from the inflation pool to be dumped on the open markets. Dumping Steem doesn't keep the lights on, nor does it add to one's ability to interact here.

Trained to be "free"

For many, costs of being part of a digital community is a contentious issue because they have been programmed to believe that the internet and these types of platforms are free, without considering the actual costs they pay. These aren't just philosophical costs and freedom of speech things, the trillions generated all come down to community extraction and predominantly wind up in a very small minority of pockets. The engineering of that centralized system is designed to drive profits to the very high and very sharp peak.

Steem is designed differently, as while it does provide some value in the short term, the power is in the ability for users to continually invest themselves into a community that could eventually become self-sufficient and somewhat autonomous from the traditional economic systems. It could even set a pathway for funding large scale development and change in ways that will chip away at the centralized powers that many feel oppress various freedoms of movement.

Complexities of action

This is by far not a simple process yet again, because of the ease of use of other platforms that only have to deliver a compelling experience and find innovative ways to extract money from wallets for their real customers, investors and advertisers, people like to compare. Essentially, while people keep believing (and therefore treating) the Steem community and its currency like it is just another social media and centralized fiat money, they will support the system they might actually be trying to escape. That is fine, that is their choice but, it comes at a cost.

That cost is their freedom of movement as they will put themselves increasingly into the hands of various authorities on which they must rely for their access. However, there is actually a growing number of people who are paying a different cost in the system and that is into the infrastructure, development and bandwidth requirements so that the community can leverage it and keep growing in various ways.

There really is no such thing as freedom in the sense that many believe but, there is freedom of choice and behaviour but, all of it comes with the limitations of opportunity cost and consequence. Those who want to live free but expect others to pay their costs are never going to be free as they are always under the grace (or economic capabilities) of others willing to extend service.

Choices to make

There are a lot of things to think about in this community and most of us have grown up in systems where the thinking is done for us by those we empower, while wondering why we suffer at the hands of the very few. We are accustomed to being presented with simplicity and ease of use where we do not have to invest much time, effort or value to be a part of while being drained blind without awareness.

Love might be free in this world, everything else carries a price. It is okay if you don't want to power up, it is okay of you don't want to invest, okay if you want to dump your Steem at 30 cents, okay if you don't want to find a community or create one, okay if you don't want to participate in all aspects of the community. This is Steem, you can do as you please but like everywhere else, there are consequences and costs involved, no matter which path you take.

These are some of my current thoughts and I have my current ways - You can choose your own.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]