I think that most of the problem lies in the fact that users do not comprehend stake. They're used to just seeing raw numbers of likes or dislikes as they're presented on other platforms and they don't have much experience with a shareholder concept. That's why we see them constantly saying things like...

"Look at how many likes I have! Look at how many comments I have! Why is my post not at the top of trending???"

Agreed.

The problem is that the mass market that we're after will share in this sentiment. Perhaps Steemit was doomed from day one.