Quality is 100000% subjective.
And what you may feel as 'low quality' others may find of value.
I personally think Hive needs to get away from the 'quality content police'. Take a look at the bigger picture on the web and you'll find the majority of the content out there isn't winning a Pulitzer Prize anytime soon...But still generates tons of engagement and interest.
There is a market and audience for high quality photography, and there is a market and audience for pictures of cats on your iPhone.
If we want Hive to grow, we need to embrace it all. Doesn't mean you need to upvote or even look at the stuff that doesn't interest you, but it should not be looked down upon.
I see and totally agree with you. I am always thinking what are the main keys for the Hive community to grow. Probably when there will be more people on the platform, there will be more taxonomies. Or so-called communities. It is on communities to filter good posts and keep curators just to confirm it not find new "stars".
Maybe the main problems lay in my view of Hive. I embraced it as a good quality source of independent news. I have even ideas about apps for this but sadly no knowledge nor time, to be honest.