Hello,
An interesting analysis about the authenticity on Hive makes me think about 'liquidity,' understood as the availability of genuinely high-quality posts and comments.

In an ecosystem where the economic reward is the engine that drives everything, and at the same time, our time is a scarce asset, it's normal that when we find a 'treasure' (our trusted author or truted curator), We let us be carried by their tide. Why continue exploring an 'infested sea' of content that often lacks of soul or feels very forced, written specifically seeking that incentive we all desire?

Unfortunately, by hodling on our treasures already found, we reduce our hunger to search and discover new treasures or potential treasures (new authors or curators). This creates a liquidity problem: people who genuinely read and comment posts tend to settle and contribute their value always in the same places, which can lead us to a centralization of quality.

I had to admit that when I have a complicated day or lack of time, I just check my trusted curator trail and vote according to their judgment, simply by looking at the titles, But why?... Simple as I had already confirmed their affinity with my tastes. The same happens with 'my' handful of trusted authors. By settling this way the search of new voices significantly diminishes.

This makes me think the following question: how can we solve this in an ecosystem that reward popularity and quantity over real quality? Especially when closed voting circles are observed.

Thank you for the post and your analysis.

Pp.