what we are paying for in the form of posts, is not that good.
It's a participation award so people don't leave. The business model is, "Here! Come! Free money! We need you!"
They leave anyway, or get locked into a comfort zone knowing they're getting paid regardless of effort. People that aren't even here, pay them.
Just picture a talented street performer with a bucket of money in front of them, and no crowd. They'll move if they care about their work, no matter how heavy that bucket is.
But if you get a quality platform, attracting quality acts, and consistent actual support rolling in from the outside, the crowd can pull all that money off the junk and put it where it belongs. Plus there's buy pressure and the incentive to hold is in the hands of the majority. If someone earning steady for content that isn't an attraction doesn't like the pay cut, well, now there's a massive audience lurking about so maybe try harder.
That organic approach in my mind is the only way to get the ball rolling. Treat it like a fresh start and slowly but surely the wasteful practices fall off the edge.
People not having to throw their money away in order to support content is the only thing that sets this platform apart from anything else. That has the potential to attract a lot of money. And talented, capable individuals do things, for money, and a crowd.