Well if it was a two your old media platform in the mainstream/fiat world, I'd totally agree. Facebook, which is a lousy comparison source actually IMO, came into a market that already had some platforms doing similar. 

STEEM however is paving the way in the crypto world for this sort of platform. It's not easily understood in either the crypto or the fiat world thus is taking time not only finding its way but attracting people who are willing to hang in for the ride. 

In my two+ years on the platform I've watched a lot come and go. The most common reason is arriving with expectations of making lots of money. An expectation Facebook doesn't have to contend with.  Some left because they didn't want to contend with the spam ... some left because they were spammers which is a good thing.

So, yeah, on the surface having 10k active  seems to suck ... however when i look at what this platform is, where it has come from and where it can go ... I'd rather 10k active and engaged users than 1million doubters. 

So, yes, it's going to be a long and possible slow growth .. but it will come. This is a marathon not a sprint