In my perfect world, the fix here is volume; if/when SN reaches Reddit levels of usage, that'll be more sats around to keep rewarding valuable posts of all kinds, while freeloaders won't impact things nearly as much.

For longer posts, I note that short attention spans are an issue web-wide; there are certainly Reddit and Substack posts (and magazine articles) that are ten minute reads, but while they achieve deep engagement with the people who engage, it also seems like the actual amount of engagement is a lot less.