Agreed. The whole system is currently relying on continious growth. For now that is comming from the establishing phase of STEEM. Where people are willing to invest other currensies for STEEM - also allowing for more STEEM to be "printed" without drop in value.

At som point people will have to be willing to pay out of their own pocket for the content provided here on Steemit. I suppose one hope on the creators side, could have been that by then, STEEM have "taken over as the world currency". If people still are willing to pay for reading posts or create them for free - Steemit will survive like any other open forums today. Otherwise it will likely smolder away - but STEEM will in this senario remain and have moved along to all other aspects daily trade.

We are living in a gold-rush time of new cryptocurrensies. It cannot last forever. Unless we transfer to a new cryptocurrensy every new decade or so. Which would only be an endless redistribution of all wealth every round. In my mind that sounds like a great recipie for conflicts of historical proportions. Meaning it would fit right in there as a natural next chapter of mans achievements since the beginning of time.