Yes, that's another valid perspective... without doubt, this is a fascinating social experiment.
I'm taking a break here from writing a piece about the nature of social media... because sometimes it feels like people forget that (a) Steemit IS "social media" and (b) all other social media platforms have everything from garbage to genius, as well. Why would we be exempt here?
The kittens remind me a little of a current-day variation of the old "tit-for-tat" algorithm (sometimes known as the "Prisoner's Dilemma."), in that you support the kittens, the kittens support you.
Clique voting? Well, yes... but isn't social media inherently cliqueish? If you're into chess, you trail around behind your favorite chess people and pretty much ignore "Spanish cooking." We become cliqueish and tribal around our hobbies and interests... and our support of them can even be seen as "self-serving" in that if I encourage (let's say) the kittens, YOU are more likely to keep running something I experience as valuable. It becomes a win-win, in a self-interest sort of way.
And I have a sneaking suspicion that that was more or less what @dan (and his dad, I'm sure) originally were counting on, in creating Steemit as a viable concept.
Well, social media certainly is as cliquish in nature as humans are tribal... 100%
Seeing the kittens as a sort of inverse prisoner's dilemma is actually an interesting point of view... I should explore that more deeply.