Steemit as a platform has a TON of potential, but it still requires a ton of work and further development to become the leader in the social media space. You posted on this a little while back, about how we can improve Steemit from a functional standpoint.

That being said, the incumbent leaders in social media (Facebook, Reddit, Youtube, etc) won't give up without a fight, especially if they try to use(or restrict the use of) patents to hamper development by what they see as competitors.

It also remains to be seen how the user bases evolve and whether or not the are willing to leave the platforms they've become so accustomed to...