Proof of bribery. The new Steemit algorithm.

"Proof of brain", anyone? Have you seen it lately? Somewhere in the outskirts of the blockchain? Yeah I thought so. It's certainly not on trending.

Image: Nick Youngson/ http://www.creative-commons-images.com/clipboard/bribery.htm

Proof of brain is DEAD

If it ever existed, it's last breaths were recorded almost exactly a year ago with the introduction of hardfork 19.

I feel privileged to remember the time before HF 19. It was a time when people stopped by, chit-chatted over almost any topic and had long, engaged conversations over this and that with exchange of upvotes. It was fun. Someone even had fantasies that one day this will be greater than Facebook.

Hardfork 19 shattered this community feeling. Suddenly it wasn't your latest photograph, the latest tune or your twist of words that mattered. It was the weight of your single click. Less than 10 dollar for a upvote? Ah c'mon! You got to be kidding me!

At the same time the arrival of Jerry Banfield sent the kids in a frenzy to get a "jerry-hug". Blog! Get paid! Free money! Frenzy!

It's maybe not a 100% correct, but the virginity was definitely lost.

Proof of bribery

Paying to get paid sounds like R-rated mafia movie. And indeed Steemit has ended up just like that. In order to get the promised pay, you will have to suck dick and lord almighty if you expose the evident. Then we come and beat you up in front of family and friends as @booster put it. Yes @booster, the brainchild of @fyrst-witness aka @fyrstikken. How he still has a spot on the top 50 list is most probably the best proof of bribery there is.

This was what we got out of hardfork 19:

• Linear rewards
• Easy delegation

And in essence true centralization of power. Power that is being used and abused to amass more power.

Transparencybot died the other day

In an effort to highlight where the money (power) goes and to guide the reader, @transparencybot gave up after a hefty flag war. I liked that bot from the moment I heard of it, but it is evident that knowing is dangerous for the power elite. Much like it is in North Korea, china and other centrally governed dictatorships.

I wish the creator @bycoleman good luck and hope he creates some other cool thing.

Proof of bribery is not sustainable

It works for a little while before it collapses. Which I think is inevitable. Corruption will at some point break. The flag wars I have witnessed, the lies, the threats and god knows what tactic has been displayed will only be nails in the social platform called Steemit. I call it a social experiment and give it little chance to survive.

No wonder @ned is powering down. I should maybe do so too. It certainly would be more profitable.