You make some valuable points of concern in this post.
I can't compare myself with heavyweight Steemit users (whales), so my opinion may not be so well grounded, when it comes to Steemit.
If you ask me, I think that any posting, commenting, upvoting, etc. on Steemit should be based on the following simple two-way process: offering something of value, and receiving something of value, in return.
If I, as a member of the Steemit community, do not offer anything of value to others Steemers, I wouldn't (and shouldn't) expect to get something of value back.