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One of the things that Steem is great at is freedom of Speech, although this doesn't always come with rewards on what is said. However, it seems to be this last point that creates some confusion from an investment standpoint. While "your stake is your voice", it doesn't mean that whatever you say is protected from all of the various forms of rebuttal, whether it be argument or downvotes. 

It does seem though that a lot of people tend to confuse the investment side with the social side of the equation where people believe that if they bought some STEEM, they are excused from their behaviors .In some ways it is much like a person saying at a restaurant, 

>"I paid for this meal, so I have the right to shit on the table".

And then, doing it.

*For visual effect.*

https://i.imgur.com/9mnqFak.jpg

Buying STEEM doesn't protect anyone from the normal ramifications of social interaction online, yet it seems that many who buy believe it gives them protection, that it buys a safe zone to earn on their words. Sure, people can say what they want, but the repercussions socially could mean that a person will never earn on their content again and in general, those who tend to fall prey to negative social implications, aren't overly positive people to begin with. Sure, there *are* exceptions - but not many and the ones who are "powering down and leaving" that I have interacted with, don't tend to make the quietest of exits, nor the friendliest. 

I believe that part of the greatness of investing into Steem is that it is possible to directly influence my investment through social interaction. Not only can I add tokens to my holdings from content creation and interaction, I can build my investment through the direct support of other users who create content as well as develop applications and marketing and whatever else. I use my stake and my stake *is* my voice - but, so to is my voice, *my voice.*

While people can act however and say whatever they please, I can't help but feel that some are not well-suited for a socially-driven investment, as some do not seem to have the social skills to manage themselves publicly. As said, there are ramifications for social actions, and people act freely and then complain about their own outcomes. This is a free-market for thought and behavior, but it doesn't mean every thought or act is going to earn, and some are going to of course find that their flavor is not one of the 31 that people enjoy or are willing to support. 

*Is that the platform's fault? Is Steem a failure because not everyone can earn on their words?*

This is a marketplace after all, and if my stall is selling shitburgers that no one wants to eat, I will be knee-deep in my own product. Perhaps, if I do not have the social sense or necessary skills to provide what the market demands, maybe I'd make a better silent investor.

Most other investments are silent investments as while one could hold significant stake, it doesn't give much of a *public* voice in the management or direction of for instance, a corporation. How many Facebook shares do you think it takes to be able to give Zuckerberg a call and say, "You know what you should do..." *and have him listen?* You can write all the posts you want to him on *his* platform, what are the odds of him reading and regarding them? How much say does a traditional shareholder really have over their investment?

Steem is different, as it melds investment and a community together and as such, creates complication that doesn't normally exist in the public eye. A traditional investor can be all kinds of crazy and it doesn't affect their investment, but their behavior does affect their social relationships and have the normal repercussions. If however the individual is for example, the owner or CEO of a large company, their private life *does' affect their investment world, and they can find themselves removed from public *very quickly.* The public nature of their position comes with boundaries on their behavior.

On Steem, the boundaries are not present at the blockchain level and are not part of the protocol at all, however, there are still social dynamics that should be considered. In general, people of Steem are pretty relaxed when it comes to the boundaries and give a fair bit of leeway, but not everyone and not all the time. If one doesn't have some kind of social tact, they could find themselves perhaps on the back end of a downvote or two. *Or for life.*

While the capabilities are built into the platform, the usage of them isn't coded and is therefore up to individual user decisions. A hammer an build a house or bust a skull, a spoon can be used to eat some porridge, or make a great jailhouse shiv. There is no such thing as an automatic downvote on Steem, but they can be automated by an individual. Same for upvotes. The reason is that the Steem blockchain does nothing unless someone does something. 

What I wonder is, out of all the people who have given up on Steem because of their outcomes, how many have only themselves to blame? No one is a victim of Steem, although many feel victimized, but under the same conditions, would someone else have behaved differently and get a different result, perhaps something positive?

I think it is interesting to think about what has led to our outcomes, and while we might want to protect our egos and feelings by blaming others, we should consider how much is down to our own actions. Not every investment is for every personality and while the options are growing on Steem, not every person is going to find a tailor made space for themselves and whatever they want to say and do. Perhaps it is the entitlement of those who don't get off the computer enough to be able to totally ignore the consequences of their behavior and maybe Steem integrating reward in a social environment shows just how lacking some people's skills are to engage with others. 

Of course, an investor without social skills could always buy some STEEM and earn on curation as it will give them a staked voice without having to open their mouths at all. But in general, people have to remember that the economy and the social interface of Steem are intertwined and behavior has an effect on the outcomes in both areas. 

Do and say as you please as the blockchain doesn't judge. *People do.*

You can sit at the table and have some great discussions or well, shit on it and be asked to leave. 

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]

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