I have not been here for Steem's glory days. Though I did win some contests that paid my grocery bills for the weeks.
RE Waling, it is my belief that we went through the same sort of systematized attack that has been plaguing the US elections for a decade and only now becoming known. It is common in capitalism for opposing monetary forces to allocate Defense Funds in business. It is part fo the Ad budget, but something that neither side, good or bad often discuss unless its of a critical matter (ie Mueller) because they (the powerful in the know) view it as the Men in Black quote "..and the only way these people can get on with their happy lives is that they DO NOT KNOW ABOUT IT!"