Getting Started and Early Engagement

I joined Steemit in June 2017 and was initially very active. I consistently posted content, commented on others’ posts, organized contests, and even took part in moderating. I was genuinely invested in contributing to the community and building meaningful engagement.

The Reality of Unequal Support

However, over time, I noticed a troubling pattern. Despite my consistent effort, my posts received very little support. Meanwhile, other accounts were receiving huge upvotes, often for content that was mediocre or low-effort. It became clear that many users with significant Steem Power were primarily upvoting their friends or their own alternate accounts, creating a network of favoritism.

As someone without significant Steem Power or backing from these influential accounts, my content, and that of many others, remained largely unnoticed. The lack of organic support was demotivating, and gradually, many of my friends and followers stopped posting and eventually left Steemit.

The @steemcleaners Incident

Things worsened with the presence of certain accounts like @steemcleaners. This account, along with others, engaged in aggressive downvoting of content from ordinary users while upvoting their own posts. They operated a Discord server where they often treated people poorly and refused to address legitimate concerns. At one point, they even deliberately downgraded my profile reputation from over 65 to a much lower score. Despite repeatedly asking for help and contacting a witness, it took several days of persistence before my reputation was restored. This incident left me deeply demotivated, and I stopped posting for a long time.

Returning After a Hiatus

When I eventually returned to Steemit after several years, I noticed that nothing had changed. Many good posts still received minimal support, while some accounts continued to earn massive upvotes for low-value content, like repetitive curation reports, which do little to contribute to the community. It became increasingly clear that the platform was being controlled by a few influential users, and that the system disproportionately rewarded those with Steem Power, rather than quality content or genuine community engagement.

Steemit, which initially seemed like a decentralized platform, appeared increasingly capitalistic and unfair. Users without significant Steem Power were systematically marginalized, while certain accounts profited by manipulating upvotes and downvotes. This led to widespread demotivation, a decline in active users, and an overall deterioration of community engagement.

Upon returning, I also noticed that the majority of my followers and people I followed were inactive for six to seven years, highlighting how much the community had shrunk. Seeing this, I realized that Steemit no longer offered the supportive and engaging environment it once promised.

Summary

In summary, the combination of favoritism, manipulative behavior by influential accounts, unfair downvoting practices, lack of genuine community support, and the dominance of capital over content made Steemit an unwelcoming platform for ordinary users. Many including myself chose to leave because our time, effort, and creativity were not recognized or valued. Until these systemic issues are addressed, Steemit remains an unattractive place for genuine creators and community builders.