I think the hpud at least is motivational for smaller creators. I like to do that monthly review, calculate the portion I want to PU, see my account growth and feel good about it.
Auto-Votes can be the same motivation in the beginning. I got quite a few for quite a while, which stopped when I reached 5k. I'm still on some folks list I think, but a lot less than in the beginning. Which is fine. I use auto-vote myself for the people I get on board, hoping that it motivates.
But yes, for Rep75 and plus accounts, it doesn't really make much sense. They usually have enough attention anyway to get good voting results, if they create adequate content.
And I don't even know what "I am alive" posts are 😅
Yes, there are a lot of "farming" activities you don't know, and that's probably for the better