This was a good one. In my opinion some people get too hung up on the importance of "content" on this platform.
Especially while STEEM is worth a fraction of what it once was, I believe in curating people over content. Sure, good content is important, but you need good people on a social network, and you need to do your part to empower them, or the whole thing will go to shit.
Yeah I upvote my friends. That's 90% of why I keep powering up. After all, I'm curating people, and my friends are awesome people, or they wouldn't be my friends.... and I want them to know that I value their presence and continued activity on the platform. If that's called circlejerking, well... pass the lubricant.
We can, and probably will, argue endlessly what is quality, which is just a waste of time and nerves. Everyone has their own opinion, likes and dislikes anyways.
I like to get to know the people I follow and upvote regularly, to get at least some sort of personal contact. And I like to follow people who are consistent in what ever they do, ain't nobody got time to go out and search for that amazing article from a random person you have no prior contact with. And do that ten times a day.
I commented to someone else that my friends are smart, funny and talented, so when I upvote them, I upvote good stuff by default!