Hmm, @sjennon, I love what you and @pilcrow did with Spectacles, it works great and I truly appreciate it for getting insights in what's happening 'behind the curtains'.

But I don't think I fully agree with you here. Maybe we cannot force whales to upvote minnows, but we can surely explain how we see things:

Whales usually have a large amount of Steem or Steem Power (which is just Steem that you can't withdraw immediately), that's what defines a whale. So it's always in the best interests of whales to see the intrinsic value of STEEM go up. Currently, Steem is valued quite low (it has been higher before at least) and I think the potential for it is huge. Most whales would agree with that, otherwise they'd probably hold different assets.

Now, having whales self-voting a lot does not make Steemit more attractive to new users, therefore it doesn't help their interests a lot. Supporting the minnows on the other hand (as long as the minnows create decent content and engage in meaningful and positive ways) does create an attractive atmosphere, which will lead to faster mass adoption and ultimately, drive up the value and price of Steem.

I see whales understanding these principles, so I'm not too worried, just hope to see more of this kinda stuff: