I started flagging and this is why:
I read the white paper when I joined and I perceived the goal was to use SteemIt like a social media site. With that in mind my posts have always been a compilation of articles, opinions, something I just wanted to share, or whatever. I never made the commitment to caring that every post I make is filled to the brim with Quality Content. I went to school and I don't wish to revisit English 101.
There is a difference between casual posting and posting garbage
To be clear, I don't care about the pennies, I recently started to care about the clutter though. I don't use bots for voting on this account and I never have. I don't seek curation rewards, I vote for what I find interesting, at the time I see it. (Natural Use) I often scroll down "New". For the most part during my SteemIt Journey I have avoided flagging and leaned towards education and discussion. The number of 1 picture posts, and other crap I see with no text makes it harder for me to find the people who are trying to write, post and interact on SteemIt. So, if I right click and google search that photo and there are millions of copies out there, I am just going to flag it. That is how I am choosing to use my stake. I am not going to find a special room on SteemIt chat and report anyone or join a police squad, I am just going to do a bit of clean up as I go.
There is a balance of figuring out how to let people use the site in a fun and casual way, so they don't feel like they have to be Authors, but also to keep it just clean enough we can stand to use it. I am adjusting my views as I go, and I don't pretend to have the only opinion that counts.
I want to clarify that I not against bots, the reason I use the site the way I do is when I came here I planned on investing and I was doing due diligence to see what the site felt like from the end-user perspective. I don't think you can understand your product unless you use it like an end-user would. Most of the bots are good, some not as much. I am very excited to see smart, talented people using their skills to create on SteemIt, and I am perfectly fine with people earning money and investing it back into the community with tools! It is my choice to experience the site as a mainstream user, because I find that is how I best understand different perspectives on SteemIt. I spend a lot of time in SteemSpeak to hear the developer and investor side of the discussions.
If you ever want to join us here is a link, stop by and say hello.
Use your stake in a manner that works for you.