Hi Erik - I think you touch on valid points as a new users, but after you get adjusted and make some inroads, the bigger picture can start to been seen and you might feel better about some of those hoops.

Comment around to get upvotes while your audience for posts is growing. It'll help you attain SP much faster when you add value to discussions on the posts of larger stakeholders.

Also build some more friendships and relationships and the stuff you're referring to will be far less painful. Get involved in Discord communities and curation groups. That'll help you network and see some more value in where this is headed.