I guess it all depends on the experience you have in the crypto world and the first Steem "product" you stumble upon first.
If you are an experienced crypto enthusiast you will easily figure out it is programmable blockchain with its currency (to earn, invest or speculate).
If you are new, it is much easier for you to compare it as a social media platform with a cryptocurrency and do not see the clear difference between the blockchain, the coin, the first dApp, and some other concepts.
Hey, @santigs.
Agreed. What you know and/or how you primarily interact with STEEM is generally how people perceive it. While the answers to the dpoll are running in favor of STEEM is a blockchain, I think most of the posts and comments I see around STEEM think of it as a social media platform with crypto, as you pointed out. In my mind, STEEM is meant for much more than any of that, so even among the users, granted, if getting to the earliest intended use is still the goal, there's a lot of education that needs to take place, let alone among the vast expanse of non-users. :)