Hello, and thank you for such a beautiful, lengthy comment.
I certainly agree that engagement is one of the main factors that make people want to stay around. I've made some good friends on the blockchain, and I've never met some of them in real life.
I think that it's all about finding people who share your interests at the end of the day.
I have definitely found myself interacting with alot of cool and interesting people on here. I agree that finding people who share your interests is key. There are also thankfully alot of good people on here doing their best to help smaller accounts find their way. Different communities and initiatives have been and are a great help in keeping people invested in steemit, myself included.