The comment vote disappearing (in most cases), isn't exactly encouraging engagement. I have stopped dishing them out and am feeling a little mean for doing so.
I wouldn't say the engagement has ceased, but it surely was an incentive for other's to comment on my posts, in anticipation of that vote.
If and when the STEEM value increases, then I can do it again.
I'm speaking probably in a minority as a decent sized stake holder. Many other's will have more moans than me. Curation is up by a long way.
Comments have had a rough time. In HF20 the rules were changed that any time you voted early it would go to the reward pool and not the author. This discouraged a lot of voting on comments.
HF21/HF22 does even more so with the curve.
But in the end, I think it may not be a bad thing. If people know they are not likely to get comment votes, then less self-serving comments (expecting an upvote) will be made. Comments will become more organic and conversational. I think this is good.
There are.., or were a lot of bullshit comments, and even though I mentioned I won't be up-voting comments anymore, our common friend is still trying to snipe me on this one.