Linear rewards still aren't the root of the problem. It's like banning guns, to prevent crime. It doesn't matter much if you're killed with a knife instead of a gun.
The actual root of the problem is failing to incentivize societal virtues other than financial. Stake-weighting is the mechanism that subsumes all other societal virtues to financial holdings. This is the source of almost all societal ills, and not merely Steemit's trending page.
Jesus attacked the moneylenders for this reason.
It's still the reason.
I'd happily give my votes/attention to anyone who can help people see the world as I see it so that their content can reach a wider audience and gain more acceptance or resistance.
Under the current system, it seems the people who will end up with the most Steem will be those who create 10 posts with the help of a bot and upvote those 10 posts leaving everyone at a disadvantage.
The power of the people come from what people put their attention on. This is where the power/value of Steem stem from.