I think you make a good point, but I disagree with your solution to change the payout system. The value of this community will ultimately be determined by the content that creators provide. We have to give this baby time to grow, which means it's on the curators to really scrutinize content for quality. Medium is a good example. I spend valuable time there because the posts are original and engaging. It's not "hey, look at this link to another news article" or "aww, what a cute baby otter!"

If Steemit is able to evolve in a more valuable and useful direction then maybe network effect will really take hold.