It was filled with badly clashing archetypes, cliques and daily battles. So is Steemit.

I wonder where do you find all that room for intrigue, clashes etc? I mean you write something, click post, and that's it. The environment, as it is right now, is not very conductive for a lot of interaction.

Unless someone is actively seeking such interaction, gossip, cliques, etc, they are unlikely to have such an experience. For most people the experience is actually the opposite: They feel it lacks interaction compared to other social networks. So how can it be that at the same time, one can say that it's like a parallel monologue, while others see it as an intrigue-filled type of system? Obviously the system can't be defined by either.

My guess is that the experience is relevant to what one actively pursues. If one wants to stir shit up and be cliquish, they'll probably find a way to do so. If one wants to just post, while not bothering with all the unnecessary drama, they'll also be able to do so.

In the end of the day, how much drama one wants to put in their lives is their choice. Some people are actively pursuing drama and controversy, others don't.