This is an interesting conundrum that is a part of the evolution of our society right now. Where does my value lie and how do I perceive my value? I have many things I can point to as my "contribution" but those are primarily non-monetary, ie. being a father, a husband, a kind human. When I see the ratio of views to votes on some of my posts, it makes me feel a bit frustrated as you have very accurately pointed out, but that metric is just one of the many we can use.
I have a very dualistic view on the bots. They are both good and bad and it depends on the intent. They can be used for good and bad and I hope the good intentions win out but history does not give a bright view of our future given human involvement. Like you say it is the ripple effect and we never know who our words may inspire.
This platform has given me the reason to finally restart writing in general. It always lies there in the back of my head, but now I have a place to put the writing that gives a tangible response. Even if it is bots, at this point it is part of what helps keep me typing and spewing forth the thoughts within my head. If someone is able to learn, grow, or a forced to think from my words then I feel that they have served their purpose.
Excellently stated.