I think you’re barking up the wrong tree with any hope that Steemit becomes a great platform in and of itself.

I've been around long enough to know that it likely won't. I've made that argument in the post. They don't care to make it usable as an actual social media platform. That's why I essentially skipped over any suggestions for interface improvements.

Harnessing the potential of the blockchain is what is going to make the value of Steem increase, not any changes to an already mediocre social media platform.

This is correct and this is my position. The blockchain has great features. The Steemit website and most of the other interfaces need a ton of work to make them relevant in the current social media scene. But that also doesn't change the fact that this blockchain is designed as a social media blockchain. The protocols are there for rewarding social media users. My focus is on those protocols, not the interfaces that build on top of them.

Whatever the interfaces may be in the future, the Steem blockchain's token creation and reward allocation still exists and this is where we find the sources of any problems. So we can have that creation and distribution go to absolute shit and shitty people and to incentivize anti-social behavior, or we can direct it towards investors, useful development, network support, and things like entertaining/informative/popular content.

Does it really matter anyhow what drives price, whether it be Steemit or something else?

Your opinion on prices, what drives them, and whether or not the reasons matter depends on your outlook. If it's purely based on speculation and making money in the short-term, then none of this may matter to you. If it's based on building useful apps/interfaces for people to use into the distant future, then you may have some stronger opinions/motives. Likewise, if you're investing for future social media platforms or the introduction of actual commerce/advertising, then again - your opinions will be different.

It's the current perception of Steem/Steemit/STINC that can and has had a huge impact. In my opinion - and others have shared this as well - the perception of what this blockchain, its interfaces, its "leadership," and its user base is has likely held back any real acceptance of it in the larger crypto community. And we haven't exactly improved that perception over the past year. It appears to have gotten worse, despite price pumps by Korean speculators.