@arcange changed his daily charts that show the amount of MVests held in each category that we have on the blockchain.  Before, it just showed the total number.  With the alteration, we see another picture painted.

The update shows the amount of MVest in each category that is consider "active" versus "inactive".  Inactive is an account that has not transacted in 30 days or more.

When we view things from this perspective, we see the situation on Steem is much different.

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmV2pnF7LS41Akot6gVPxQu8WkdgiRE7Sy15RJ7qEVEFbU)

There is no doubt the Whales hold a lot of Steem Power.  That wall is rather large.  The good news is that, over time, it is changing.  When I joined Steem, that number was at 75% of the total Steem Power held.  In the next couple months, we could see that drop below 50%. 

What is important about the chart is the amount of inactive.  This means that those who are active on here are more powerful than they know.  Their contribution stands a great chance of payout the way the author/curation is set up.

Before explaining that, I will state that we know a lot of the Steem Power in these larger accounts could be used.  These were investors and their SP is most likely delegated in hunt of a return.  It is with applications that provide a payout.  So we cannot operate like it does not exist.  They could be amassing SP just not downloading it frequently.  It will be interesting to watch how this changes over time.

That said, the set up on Steem is 75% of the payout goes to the author while 25% is for the curators.  This is the major advantage smaller accounts have.  The inactive Steem Power is earning from the 25% of the pool because these people are not creating content.  They delegate, thus earning a reward from the curation.  

This also addressed the self upvoting many times a day.  While it is done, it is not by the large majority.  Again, most of them do not even come on here regularly.  

It is important to note how the Orcas and Dolphins have more active SP than the Whales.  These are the ones who are working to make this place move forward.  They are utilizing their time and SP to help the ecosystem grow.  It also shows how powerful those two categories are on here.

I long maintained that the smaller accounts would have an impact simply with activity.  By posting content, in larger numbers, they would end up taking a bigger portion of the reward pool.  Simply law of averages show that to be true.  While each post might not garner a lot, it is the collective that grows.  

This all means that the smaller accounts are more powerful on here, as a whole, on a daily basis than most people realize.  Of the active MVests (159,803), the Minnows and Planktons account for 13.27%.  To put that in perspective, the Dolphins have just over 14% of the total MVest when inactive are factored in.

I believe this is the reason why the distribution is spreading out over time.  The number of accounts active heavily favors the smaller accounts.  They have the ability to post an overwhelming amount of content compared to the few large accounts.  While it does not seem like much, all those .04 and .05 payouts add up on the collective level.

![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmVMZSavQVq8C9GUPucdu7u5ndtaSy6sPCiBqd56Z5mX7Q)

https://www.steempeak.com/statistics/@arcange/steem-statistics-20190519-en

They say in life that showing up is half the battle.  On here, being active puts people in a much smaller grouping of people.  While I always felt that those who were participating on here were part of a small group of early adopters, these charts show how small it really is.

I hope this helps to motivate some people to stick with this ecosystem.  Looking at raw numbers do not always tell the story.  Again, while there is no doubt the distribution is overwhelmingly tilted to a few accounts, it is changing.  And the fact that so many are inactive gives each content creator the change to have a bigger impact.

Success on Steem takes persistence and dedication.  In my time here, those who stuck it out and kept active were able to grow their accounts.  This will yield enormous benefits down the road when the bear does finally end.

As always much thanks to @arcange for his daily efforts putting up these posts.
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![image.png](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmPvBkjBFuAKHQR7MacQ1679NryWNG5ZexgaPZdUmTo4so)


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