From what I've seen, Steemit very closely mirrors real life in its functionality. Much like real life, a lot of it is about who you know and how big your silver spoon is.

However, as I have said elsewhere, Steemit is far far far fairer than real life could ever hope to be. There is no velvet rope here; learn the rules, develop strategies, play the game and you will succeed. You might not succeed THIS WEEK but if you persist and improve and adapt, you will get there one grind at a time.