I suggest supporting and promoting some of the other Steem apps with differentiated functional UIs so that users are less reliant on Steemit which, as you say, encourages groupthink through a prominent trending page.

https://steemit.com/chainbb/@cryptoctopus/how-will-different-steem-apps-influence-our-behaviors-chainbbtrail-updates

I am eagerly waiting for @Zappl and the character limits it brings.
http://zappl.io/

Short posts and short replies need less time to create and consume and thus allow for more time to communicate and connect with more people.