"where maximizing selfishness will lead to compounding benefits. It was either going to be this or 99% of network activity was going to be self-voted. I'm not sure which is better."
This has been so accuracy put into words that I wouldn't have been able to do so if I tried for a whole day.
I have used bots in the recent pasts. My position on them is that it is what it is and the idea of free choice is bound to effect us in away that we might not like. Doesn't mean that giving up the option of choice is going to do us any favors.
For now I am not using any bots and there is chance that I might never.
Even then I appreciate the pointers you laid out as they make sense to to the logical part of my brain.