You've pretty much summed up why curating content is so complicated right now... I recently tried to automate part of my voting, and what I was going to do was support people I know are (at least) creating content responsibly. But I wasn't able to do that due to glitches in the tool, and I was stuck with manual voting. I know how the delegated part of my SP is used because it's the account of the community I'm part of... And if I could summarize my concern, it would be the general lack of awareness about what it means to share content.
It's almost like the chorus of a song: Do it with meaning, with significance.
I confess that I dislike insipid comments, which seem like they only read the title. I feel like saying, "Why are you commenting if you didn't read it?" Although I've responded that way to the most obvious ones several times. Lol.😅
I sum it up as a lack of awareness, of brainpower? And it's not like you need to write a treatise... But even a meme can be good if it has some elaboration and a message... There should be some elaboration, right?
I'll stick with your question...
Do you believe that you, as an individual, can help keep interest in this platform alive?
If I write or do something well, whether it's beautiful, funny, with a sense of humor, or whether it's drawing attention to something that's meaningful to me, I'll be doing something for Steemit, which is creating something that's worth something to me, and that can eventually inspire others. And when I say "me," I mean anyone...
The important thing is that I do it with meaning, with significance, that I put my heart into it. Everyone will see what that something is, right?
If we expect nothing but money, what happens with anything we expect nothing but money from will happen: It'll just be a job. And as Facundo Cabral said, "He who works at something he doesn't love is unemployed." He's wasting his time.
After working late into the night yesterday to do something as an individual to keep this platform alive and fill it with human soul, but at some point simply running out of energy, I'm now taking time for you. This is polite, more important, and more necessary than a soulless "curation report," because you also took a lot of time for me. Time begins with the mental examination of what you've perceived. Be it a wonderful, literary piece, a few questions that come from the gut, or a single gif that expresses so much. Thank you for that! And that really says it all, doesn't it? We really don't need to discuss "the quality of content" anymore; we've internalised what constitutes togetherness.
Haha, it's almost funny that those (including you) who don't actually need the "required" self-reflection are using this post as an opportunity to write a detailed comment, because they're always reflecting anyway and, above all, acting or modifying their actions according to their own values. But that was kind of obvious, wasn't it? It just goes to show that all the insights gained long ago are now manifesting once more... 😉
Finally, I'd like to inform you that out of a sense of duty, I'll be working reliably and diligently for another three weeks, while I'm unemployed... 😔