Still new to Steemit here, but I view every "upvote" as a bit of positive karma. Like, if you have 10 votes a day, why not spread a little positive energy if you can? Appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on the matter. As for upvoting one's own content, I can see why that might be controversial for some. I think that for people coming from Facebook and other platforms, there is a belief that upvoting one's one content is a way to generate "momentum" for the post, and not necessarily a way to game the rewards system. I think it's a matter of human psychology -- if you see a lonely post with no comments, no upvotes, you are much more likely to pass right on by. But if you see a like, a heart, an emoji - well, anything! - you are much more likely to consider leaving something behind. thanks for the insights!