I'm no whale, heck not even a dolphin and I' ve only been here a couple months, but I totally agree with you. There are so many people here looking for hand outs, spamming and making crappy posts just to try to make a quick buck. I think too many people flocked here to try to make a quick buck and are looking for easy ways to do it.
It's just like anything in the world, there's no free ride. If you work hard and make good content I think people can likely succeed here. I'm not sure just how lucrative in the long run, but who knows.
I'm enjoying the friends and connections I'm making here, learning a lot along the way and having fun and that's what's most important to me.
I also really appreciate your contests here it's a great way for me to help some of my new friends starting out here on the platform. I found when I started that one big upvote can really be motivating and exciting.