Yeah you have a great point! Whales tend to upvote what they like though, so it's important to keep in mind that creating great content and building relationships is going to be the long term sustainable route.
It would be interesting to see DTube's take on the idea of a different payout system. I just don't think it's possible due to the nature of the blockchain.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@menel3d/steemit-start-mining-plan
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