Good points.

There were definitely issues with the old circle-jerk, popularity system. I was one of those "scrap-collectors" back in July 2016 as well! My first several posts earned $0.00, while some people earned >$10,000. I had to figure out a way to cut through the noise.

I'd personally like to see the trending page and featured content to be based on something entirely different. Perhaps view count. Yes, those with bigger followings on Steemit might have the initial advantage; however, new users could promote their Steemit content on Twitter or other platforms where they've already built an audience.

We may never have a perfect system, but I think we can have something better than what currently exists here.