Content Cop: A Criticism of Steemit

Top trending posts consistently feature gambling applications, some sort of steem-bot, or cryptography news feed. Once again, it is made clear that it isn't the best content that gains popularity, but what is paid for.

In order to appeal to the community, promotions often come in the Guise of Original Content. Frequently, these advertisers claim to be posting and advertising in the interests of the community of the community. For example, one advertiser begins by addressing the issue of information overload, which “triggers decision paralysis or leads to rational ignorance which locks us inside our bubbles,” however, the subject quickly shifts from information overload to promotion of a steemit content algorithm. Posts such as these which begin by addressing real issues but quickly segway into an marketing pitch are not uncommon.

Even more atrocious is the promotion of a Steem gambling site that advertises itself as “an experience gaming company with millions of users.” This, followed by, “Resteem this article and you will get 50 SBT. In addition to that, you will get 10 extra SBT for every 100 followers you have. If you have 5137 followers, you will get 563.7 SBT (50 + 5137/10 = 563.7).”

Despite the fact that the proposal is an obvious scam:

Users are stuck in a backwards cycle of paying advertisers to promote their product or service in hopes of gaining followers and reputation. There is a noticeable bias for surface-level 'positive content’, and in many cases sycophantic behavior is incentivized; almost everyone is obsessed with their own marketing tactics, plotting ways to get more attention and attract more followers. Where’s the content?

Note:
I am open to respond to counterarguments in the comments- I ask that you repost if you think these criticisms are valid.