This is a fantastically written opinion piece @rhondak, and as a new user to Steemit (less than a week at this point) it really helps put some immediately evident issues into perspective. I'm just getting to grips with the influence system and having not made any impact to warrant much attention as yet, I'm hoping that these issues can find resolve in the near future.
Speaking as a platform Plankton I can see the Steemit's model looks bright for the future as long as content remains front and centre. If the community can stay focussed on that, the whales and minnows will forever swim in harmony.