I tend to agree with this. Not enough user interaction. If more people, rather than post a story, would post topics of conversation like on Reddit, I think we would see more lively discussions. I'm ok with long stories, but a bigger mix of conversation "topics" would engage people more.
EDIT: Also the ability for users to select their favorite tags and topics for display on the home page would go a long way to getting conversations going. Now you have to weed your way through every tag before you finally find a tag that might contain something interesting to you.
RE: Steemit State of the Site: Retention