im just gonna give my insight on this
people are turnign this into a competition when the whole goal of the site is to look at memes and have fun. and make them ofc.
but with things like memeplugging and reposting and upvote begging, this isn't really working. you know why? that shows that all that person cares abt is attention. yes you want your meme to be seen but there are a million others who want the exact same thing. I also feel like haters and streams targeting specific groups are making imgflip seem toxic as well.
but the main goal here is to enjoy your life and not focus on if youre on top here or not. because in the end, being top here has no significance. you dont get monetized, you dont get a checkmark next to your name, you don't get fame all over the internet. like even I have tried to make accounts on other sites but no one really cares. in the end you're just someone that made a meme they liked. at least thats what u are to the majority of the people. (making friends here is great as well ofc - engaging with your audience is great but that isn't my point)
so what is my point? dont focus on being on top here, it's not like you gain anything for it except 8 year old simps, and eventually you become so used to it it doesnt even make you feel great, it only makes you feel worse if u drop down from a leaderboard or something. just enjoy your life outside the internet, because u only got one chance at life and you should seize the moment. make memes in the moment, but dont focus on constantly posting, because a day without being noticed is fine. if your followers really care abt u they will comment on them and upvote them anyway.