I think there are several problems that we need to resolve before mass adoption. Some of them include people just trying to scam the system, running rings and circle jerk clubs. Using the platform for only their self interest and not doing anything to help the community grow, that is a huge obstacle.

Next I think censorship and flagging is a big problem. If you have a disagreement with someone and they go on a personal vendetta against your account, it can have a big impact on your returns.

I really think we have got a way from the sense of community, I will even use musing as an example. I see a few people come on here and post 5 questions in 5 minutes without trying to interact with anyone else. The only reason they post is because they are looking for an upvote from the main account. That mentality kills the founding idea behind Steem and we must be diligent in trying to curb this behaviour.