This is very interesting but not everyone will think this way. It seems the system is comfortable with the few whales and dolphins and everyone else is left to struggle at the bottom. I don't know if that is helping the system in anyway, but it seems that is how it's designed to be: I may be wrong though! Talking about posts that are enhancing the system, I don't think most trending posts are doing that. Most posts trend not because of their value to the community but because of the Relationship the posters have built over time with higher members in the system. So it seems people don't curate anymore based on value of the post but on what they will get back from the person. I don't think the system will last long if such pattern continues.
most posts trend because they have votes bought on them. The only metric trending looks at is price the post draws from the pool. Trending is meaningless and has been since the start because even without the bots, it is as you say.