If I go back to my early notes, there's a couple that basically state that zaps and v4v are both essentially a circle jerk, with most activity happening between a vocal minority, who further cash in on those outside the minority trying to work their way in to the inner circle. I think this is particularly apparent during zap-a-thons. The amount received by those outside the main group is likely far less than they spend.

I see the podcast 2.0 as a similar effort. Of course all the podcasters participating are going to promote it, and all those who aspire to be influencers will start streaming sats.

Do I have a problem zapping? No, if I read something profound or find an account I enjoy reading, I might look to send a few sats their way, just to show my appreciation - but I will also likely "like" or "boost" their content before even checking to see if they accept zaps. I would expect the same in return, but would never go to a "zaps-only" mode. That just seems like the worst elitist look to me.