The content on the trending page wasn't higher quality prior to the bid bots. It was about the same quality as you see now but for the most part restricted to an elite group of authors. Vote buying took place prior to the bots but now it's out in the open and accessible to everyone.

The problem used to be that you couldn't make any money unless you had a whale upvote. Many fled then just as they flee now. Steem has always had a user retention problem. Blogging is not for most people and most people will not grind away at it long enough to gain traction organically. The problem today is you can't find success without paying for it but at least that is a clear and accessible path to success.

If a content creator is looking to gain traction quickly they should advertise.
Isn't it good for the price if new users buy some Steem or SBD on the market and spend that promoting their posts at a possible profit? As far as advertising goes it's hard to find a better deal on the internet right now. Where else can you advertise for a possible profit? You should try it yourself. Spend a few bucks advertising your posts and gain some exposure and SP.

Now let's talk about your flags. As a long time user I would suggest you stick to using your posts to create change rather than using the flag button. Your flags don't carry enough weight to actually affect a promoted post's payout in any meaningful way and so they won't serve as a deterrent. They will however attract the negative attention of people with enough steem power and reputation to do serious damage to your fledgling account. Using the flag button is playing with fire and the targets you are picking for flags are like adding gasoline to that fire. That's not a threat I'm just letting you know flag wars happen here.