Is Steemit a Big Whale Circle Jerk?

Whales voting for whales voting for whales, Steemit seems to be less and less a meritocracy and more of a big whale circle jerk. A small handful of whales disproportionately affect the payouts and effectively keep the majority of the steem inside their little circle. Unless you are buddy buddy with a whale or out of shear dumb luck catch their attention in the fleeting moments your post is visible before it is burried in the pile never to be seen again you are out of luck. It's gotten so bad that whales like @randowhale are successfully selling their votes just so the minnows can play the game. Steemit needs major improvements in users ability to filter and search for post or it needs a recommended feed so that those creating quality content can be found and rewarded. The minnows are frustrated and engagement in the platform is going to drop unless something can be done.