Steemexclusive

It's been quite a while, erhaps a few years, since I last wrote about the #steemexclusive hashtag and what it actually entails. Back then, the discussion centred around stories I was posting on Steemit in my community, Tales & Stories. The Steemit team didn't really respond, although there was some discussion with other users and writers. My opinion back then hasn't changed to this day. What I write is my property, and it's up to me to decide what to do with it. It can't be right that once I post my story on this platform, I'm unable to post it anywhere else or publish it elsewhere, simply because it was assigned that particular hashtag.

The same applies to artists and photographers. Many photos posted these days can also be found on sites like Pixabay and other free platforms. You can easily create an account there, upload your photos, and make them available to others. Altered and unaltered images can be found here. As for generated images, the question remains: who owns them? Is it the person who owns the AI platform, or the individual who generates the image through prompts and may or may not modify it?

And what about NFTs? These are often not particularly unique, and AI is frequently used in their creation. Is it art or not? And who owns them? Is it the tool or app used? Is it the person who provides the prompts, perhaps with a bit of tweaking, or the individual who posts the image on this platform or elsewhere? Or is it the person who pays for it but will never truly own the image? After all, it's nothing more than an image on the blockchain or the internet.

Times have changed, and I believe opinions on this matter also depend on how Steem curators operate these days. The requirements for curators when it comes to rating posts or following guidelines are not as strict as they once were. Nowadays, the main concerns are simply the absence of AI and plagiarism.

But is it 100% verifiable that a rated image hasn't been altered, manipulated, or copied using AI? What constitutes an original image? I don't think this is always clear-cut.
Is it plagiarism if a post and/or image also appears on other platforms simply because the author chooses to post elsewhere? No, this isn't plagiarism, because the person posting the images and text is the same individual.

Is it always possible to determine whether something has been posted on different platforms or perhaps already published in a book? Unfortunately, the answer is no. What is easy for one person to find, another might struggle to locate, simply because the internet doesn't always function perfectly or due to other obstacles. I myself am unable to view all posts, as some are blocked for me—either because of EU regulations or the country I happen to be in at the time. The same applies to others, or at least I assume so, especially considering that many people use VPN to have access to Steemit.

Example:
I'm currently drawing, and I'm partly using a manga book as a reference. Why? Because people say this is an easier way to learn compared to realistic images and portraits. I can't say at this point whether that's true—it certainly doesn't feel that way.

But... if I draw something, am I a plagiarist, or is it my own work? Perhaps what I create isn't original, but how many texts on this platform can we genuinely say are original? To me most diaries look the same! And how many photos, not to mention all the times people use the same free images from sites that provide them?

To what extent do our creative ideas belong to Steemit? I don't believe they do. As long as they aren't paid for, as is the case with NFTs, it's up to the creator to do with them as they please.

Regarding the curators: most have never received proper training, and those who have been around for a while likely take honesty and decency into account. At least, I hope so, although this is certainly not always the case. Deals are made, partners receive large rewards, accounts in power-down are nominated and rewarded by SC01, and newcomers who post their introduction twice are rewarded twice without the team noticing. Also the same higher-ranking Steemians active in many functions often get nominated, week after week, month after month. It seems as though no one else exists on this platform besides them. And of course, there are many more things that make you think: that's completely wrong. However, I assume this is all just coincidence and that we are all human, with limited time and resources, and can only do our best. Right?

_{Prompt: see title
25-2-2026}