![image.png](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/belemo/Iv5bhV9z-image.png)


I got into this community in 2017 with the hope of earning from my writing, increasing my audience and building a brand. In the two years that have past, I'll say I have made some progress in that respect. Still, I have also learnt something about Decentralisation that empowers me until this day. 

When I joined  #decentralizesteem community, I had zero understanding of the word, despite seeing it pop up in my feeds every now and then. Things like this can only be ignored for a short time because, by the third month, I finally got a personal interpretation of the concept. Even though it was fundamental, I felt like I just discovered Narnia.

My first contact with the power of Decentralisation was about the control of my information. My independent mindset made it easier to take control of my data, and this, in turn, opened my eyes to see how traditional social media like Facebook make a killing from me. Unlike Steem, where only the account owner regulates control, Facebook basically leverages information from their users to shove things in your face. 


Staying with Facebook context, my eyes were opened to the financial implication of having control of my information. A little research into the topic showed that Facebook was making a fortune from adverts and all the other stuff they shove in my face. It's even worse when you consider they eavesdrop on your private conversations and interactions on the platform with an "algorithm" to streamline the kind of information they drop in your feeds. 

Thinking about it, it is actually an elaborate operation. From a business point of view, Mark is running a very "good" business operation that has earned him billions.  On the other side of the spectrum, the operation has turned into a mind-control device that limits users by shadowbanning and putting limiters to what I can and can't say. Decentralisation, on the other hand, has no such limiters because you have absolute freedom and control of whatever you want to say.

<div class="pull-left">https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/belemo/zTv2T1fx-image.png</div>


That's the thing about having control of your information, you get to have a voice in this world where freedom of speech and expression is slowly becoming a scarce commodity.  Decentralisation is freedom of expression, freedom to have an opinion, freedom to talk in however way I choose to and just be my self. 

When I think about Decentralisation, I think about a financial system. I think about money for the people and by the people. The notion that in my little way, I have a stake in monetary policy. It feels refreshing to know that my Steem has an influence on a system, that it can be staked to give and earn rewards, that in my little way, I'm in control. Outside Steem, it is the same feeling it gives and contradicts everything the Government represents, and that's what scares them.  

Decentralisation is empowering the masses to be independent-minded.  Decentralisation has proven to me that with a common purpose, humans from different cultures and places can gather together with a common goal. It showed that with the right incentives and direction, *Centralised* form of authority will become obsolete. 

Amid the ongoing dispute with @justinsunsteemit,  we have seen the power of Decentralisation in full swing. Decentralisation is a form of governance for the people and by the people. It may not be perfect, but it is what we have, and everyone with their stake chooses their course of action, with the good of the chain as a priority. 

Decentralisation has a lot of perks, but just as Justin Sun has shown us if you're rich and sneaky enough, you can theoretically centralise a decentralised platform. The only issue I can say I have with Decentralisation is that it works with a sort of *trust system*. In other words, people with small stakes can only hope that Whales are *good human beings*. Oh well, you can always walk away, fork or move your funds elsewhere, so I guess it all comes down to the individual at the end of the day.


## Final Words
Vote for your witnesses, the ones you know and have trusted or at least that have been around the platform through the bad and good times. Stand for Steem but while you "battle", remember that;

> "If we win by losing ourselves, by losing what we were fighting for, then we never really win."
― Meg Collett, Fear University



<div class="pull-left"><a href="https://steempeak.com/trending/hive-105727">
<img src="!](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUGRWStqfhkD3hCKyNNkC4eKzdTsXLxntSZejoCACatTs/image.png))"/>
</a></div>

<div class="pull-left" ><a href="https://steemit.com/@belemo">
<img src="https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQ3NZCn3sLzGB7sa27sDL3yJzmKMxJjywJ5Q2vAGVNW3e/belemo.gif"/>
</a></div>

*This is an entry for @theycallmedan's [initiative](https://steemit.com/steem/@theycallmedan/what-does-decentralization-mean-to-me-initiative)*