It is true that I care about followers and likes, I admit it's childish of me to do so, but those are some of the only things that tell me that people like my art. However, it is inexcusable to cheat, lie, and steal your way to get to the top.

omgosh somebody finally said it
I agree with you so much on this
(i might make a picture/rant based of this, crediting you if i do lol)

Everyone is either complaining about likes and follows, or being unoriginal (unintentionally maybe) to get to the very top
Like it seems like some neverending contest

And then there's the few inbetween, like the people who draw for fun and their own enjoyment, and sometimes shares their enjoyment with others

It's true that a lot of people obsess over followers and likes now. I don't see many artists who do it for fun anymore.
The only reason I really care about likes and follows is to know that people actually enjoy what I make and to get information to help me improve.
I don't mean to bash on everyone in the community, there are a lot of nice, genuine artists out there. I just find it sad that Colors! has become like a popularity contest.

I totally agree. I even made a rant about this recently. Some artists don't even seem like they are having fun when they draw. I could care less if I got two stars or five hundred.