Actually, for the Network Effect to truly make an impact, holding isnt what is required but people actually using the currency. In the end, for the blockchain, it comes down to what is being transacted on there...what is taking place.
STEEM is starting to amass value, as a currency and the blockchain itself, because of the transactions taking place on here. People are still amassing STEEM in the form of SP, which is a type of HODL, yet the system is established in such a way that there is a lot going on. That is the value in this system.
I agree there are a lot of tokens created with the sole intention of ponzi scheming or some type of get rid quick operation with no viable solution. What is sad is many of them dont even have the intention of creating anything or solving a problem...they simply want to get some quick money.
That's a good way to look at it. I've always described cryptos as being largely speculative and far out pricing their inherent value, but each good crypto solves an important problem. Maybe how well it is solving that problem is a better way to measure its worth.