critical component of the economy.
You really think vote selling is critical to our economy? I would suggest the contrary. They are what is holding us back.
I think what @mor, @void, and @hr1 are going to show us how much more valuable the user experience could be without so much pervasive paid votes.
Furthermore, while you think bid bots or vote selling to perhaps be an indispensible part of the ecosystem, I know they have been crucial in the proliferation of abuse accounts that continue to plague our chain and ward off mote scrupulous investors and bloggers.
Lastly, these services do a bit more than promotion. If everybody that used them declined rewards, would be for that but thats not what it is. Not by a longshot.
Once monetary incentives become great, the rules of the game always change. Abuse accounts are always going to be with us in one form or another, even the Steemit whitepaper acknowledged that.
I am aware of this. I think the key is making abuse the path of greater resistance to these accounts. We've been working to that end with @steemflagrewards.