A lot of people have reported about the in-rush of followers recently. And it's still a question and just a lot of suspicions what it might be. But you're right, it's better not to focus too much on these numbers. I'm also more concerned about my SP more than my rep. It's really where your upvote can make a difference on someone's post.
And I'm also looking forward to the next Sndbox quest! You know I had disappointments recently but thanks for reminding me about the quest where we should be focusing more soon. :)
No worries and we understand your frustrations. We have been noticing what you have stated in your post, but maybe it's us at four/five months. We're sure there's a map of emotions with Steemit depending on how long you have been here and where you're at. If anyone has done and post about that, we would love to see it and find out what would we be going through in the next 2-3 months and beyond. Hahaha, Steemit is not that generic.