Hi Killbride, that was intense hehe, but accurate. Well, you can always stay away from actually spending money. In my case just was a deviation from some other investment I had in cryptos.
I am not sure if I will be or not the next Crypto Star over here, but I always loved to write and try to share a little of what I know, or at least I do my best.
The bots thing is quite a controversy, and you will even find contradictory positions among Witnesses and Whales (steem largest power users). I see it as a re-investment since the more I pay bots, I get back Steem power and a little of promotion, people go to posts that have both high amount of votes and STUs.
I see Steemit as a Blog where I can both enjoy my hobby and earn a little extra. I would love to keep growing in followers, eventually, the rest will come.
For you as new, keep making honest and meaningful comments like the one above and you will find your spot quickly.
Thanks for your comment, I realize this is what I love the most, to write something that inspires Steemers to initiate a dialogue.