Some of us like animals, including myself. I'm quite happy to upvote pictures of people's cats if they include at least a little blurb about their cats. Posts that are just a cat meme with no additional text, not so much. As for dinner plates, if they include a recipe and it's an interesting home cooked meal, also awesome by me.

I don't consider Steemit a waste of time because I enjoy writing. I think anyone who came here solely for the purpose of trying to make a bunch of cash is going to get disillusioned pretty quickly. If that's what you're here for there are definitely much easier ways to make money.

Also, it's important to realise that even if you do consider Steemit something for making money, you're not going to make it overnight. Just as you wouldn't start making money overnight if you started your own blog or Youtube channel. Some people work years before the profit starts rolling in. And unfortunately, the same rules of crap content getting a tonne of money apply with those mediums as well, because once someone is big and can get the sponsorship they can dole out any old crap and people will lap it up. That's just how life is.

One thing I want to say is that you get out of it what you put in. You need to engage with others on their actual content as well as post your own. And no offense, but it seems like a lot of what you are doing is spamming your own post on other's people pages which is only going to piss them off. If you want to get in life, you have to be willing to give as well.