However, it feels like the social part used to be a lot more active some years back than it is today.

Every effort shall be made to make my comment not only civil but gentle as well. It seems like we both agree that the STEEM pre-HIVE days were more active, engaging and all around more exciting than the present state of the social media aspect of the blockchain.

There is no python generated pie charts for me to factually and statistically prove my point, yet taking the community and splitting it asunder by approximately 20 self centered individuals that did not want to loose control of their asset printing press might have had something to do with HIVE's present state?

The fork also highlighted the flaws in the PoS governance system and that one would be just as safe leaving their tokens in an exchange wallet as one that the same grubby (approximate) 20 individuals have control to edit upon will. Who would even think of buying HIVE as any kind of crypto investment with that grubby bunch ready to abscond your funds at will?

At best it is a utility token and the social media element will be soon seen (if not already) as just another Dapp, with gaming and other Dapps eventually leaving the social media users in the same light as we might view loyal AOLers. They still exist to this day!

You will find me posting almost daily here, so this is not a hater talking. There are people here that mean as much or more as folks known in RL. But let's call a spade a spade and see this as the failed "experiment" as the creator who walked away from it himself called it.

Anything that brings out meaningful engagement gets my upvote.