@jameslparis, I totally get your frustration. I don’t have enough social media or blockchain knowledge to know whether Steemit is rigged or not, however I suspect that there is a certain amount of cyber-nepotism at work (as there is in the "real" world) rather than intentional exploitative rigging. It seems to me that anything crypto doesn’t have a guaranteed future and that no-one truly knows where Steemit and steel are going in the long term, and I still haven't quite figured out how this whole thing really works and how it will end up. Probably in the dust, like all things earthly.
As far as I am concerned, I have been keeping my nose to the grindstone, within the limitations of available time once the obligations of a full-time job, family, etc have been met, which doesn’t leave much time. However, since I joined Steemit, I have seen my reputation creep up and a few cryptopennies add up in my wallet. I have posted a few things, and have interacted with fellow Steemians, and it seems to bear fruit, albeit very slowly.
This is the first social media I have ever been involved with. I don’t have a blog and I don’t publish. I have been avoiding Facebook like the plague because I value my privacy and I’m not interested in reconnecting with people I used to attend kindergarten with. To me, that is not a valid criterion for connection and I don’t need a thousand pseudo-friends who are going to “like” what I had for breakfast.
With Steemit however, because of the variety of interests and viewpoints, I can engage in dialog with like-minded people or, if the issue is important to me in verbal fisticuffs. It is also a space where I can express my creativity in a very personal and uncensored way that doesn’t have to conform to the dictates of society. I find that very liberating. If people like what I have to say or find something good or beneficial they’ll give me an upvote and follow me, and if not, they’re just moving on. It is an alternative reality where I am building a network that I can navigate without risk. So I have let this experience develop in a very organic way without bots or reciprocal back-scratching and have no clue where it is going. Lots of SBDs would be nice, but I’ll focus on what I have to say and enjoy the challenge and the process, follow and save my upvotes for the people whose material resonates with me or to thank them for providing a springboard to self-expression. As to the outcome, I don’t feel it is entirely in my hands, but I’m OK with that.