Yes, I’m hoping that ecash will make these types of systems possible. In addition to paid hashtags, ecash could potentially help get rid of free riders. 

For example, if you run a desktop, you accumulate sats as others download from you. When you’re using your phone, you’re paying sats to others. Videos especially are pricey. We forget that many nostr relays are paying for this and essentially making a donation to the network.

Another way to reduce spam is to rely on the trust network. For example, I follow (and trust) you. You follow others, and so on. I essentially trust you and everyone, directly or indirectly, trusted by you. 

Just like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, this might be almost everyone. I would be willing to get content and hashtags from this expanded network. 

Spammers would have to be followed by someone for their content to be visible to the larger trust network. Since most people don’t follow spammers, this should keep much of it out. (And of course, you should be able to block individual accounts too in case you don’t like anyone). 

The downside to this is, of course, bootstrapping for new users. Newbies who don’t know anyone are locked out until they get someone to follow them. 

 according to what u are saying, bootstrapping for new users is doomed bcs they share the same posititon as spammers. 

 Yes, perhaps this is where the payment part comes in.