My thoughts exactly. In the end I think Steemit will fail as a platform. All the things you mentioned are actually happening. Just friends who are upvoting and commenting other friends to make a buck. Other people begging for upvotes, follows and resteems. To be honest I start to get fed up with it. I am considering to power down and sell the Steem. There are way better options than Steem(it). Some interesting projects are coming.