Even for me that's been on the Hive for good period of time now, I still struggle with the negative emotions I feel when my seemingly valuable post is overlooked. I wonder how newbies will feel?
This is where we differ because my theory of value says my contributions are nearly worthless. (*) That I earn anything at all on them makes me very happy. I earned next to nothing in the latter half of 2018. But I kept going because I know I would've done so anyway, only on a platform paying me absolutely nothing.
*) I've lived all my life in a 90% Evangelic-Lutheran country. It was always emphasized in all of the religious teaching I received that following expulsion from Paradise mankind was destined to earn its living through sweat and toil. Work was God's punishment for Adam's transgression. Mercy is also a big theme in the Lutheran brand of Protestant Christianity.
Now, I'm an atheist but I'm a Lutheran atheist owing the fact that I grew up in a culture infused with Lutheran ideas by 500 years of indoctrination. The book of Moses says no pain no gain. Earning author rewards on Hive from posting something that billions of people post entirely for free is thus Paradise made possible by the Gods of Token Mechanics who created a system where value is taken from greedy speculators and given to creatives who demonstrate willingness to accept Hive and its everlasting mercy.
Well, we can't all share the same opinions can we? Life would be boring!
But then, we can learn from the minds of people, and I think your opinion is completely valid, and it kinda resonates with my comment at the end where I said I still published posts regardless of the reward I got from it.
But my comment wasn't exactly addressing a me problem. Maybe I'm wrong to assume, but I was also putting the thoughts of other people into consideration. Newbies especially.
For me, I've decided that I'll keep posting. And here's what I tell my friends that get discouraged from posting. Most of them are photographers like me, so I tell them or ask them rather;
What is the value you get from not posting your content on the Hive? They don't answer this question. So I go ahead to them to see the Hive as just another regular platform with the probability of earning a reward from it. If you don't post, you earn nothing. If you post, you might earn nothing too, but there's a slim chance that you would.
You asked good questions. Something like you suggested must be going on in the minds of some people who dip their toes into this place and decide it's not for them. And I've seen my share of people complaining about their rewards all the time while remaining here.
What is the value you get from not posting your content on the Hive? They don't answer this question. So I go ahead to them to see the Hive as just another regular platform with the probability of earning a reward from it. If you don't post, you earn nothing. If you post, you might earn nothing too, but there's a slim chance that you would.
That logic is impregnable. Apart from an insignificant loss of time, there is no cost to sharing your photography on Hive, too. Dropping by to engage is likely to be worth your while if your content is good.