I have thought before about the need for a "reputation" driven system, where the user can indicate who he or she "trusts" (and how much) based on their contributions. The system would then highlight information from trusted users and from users in the broader networks of trusted users. Other content would be available, but it would be displayed with less emphasis.

For this to work, the UX would need to indicate that a single "vote" means "this is a well-formed or interesting comment" as opposed to the "I agree" upvote or the ambiguous "like."

Overall I think this more closely resembles real-world networks. We are more likely to listen to those we trust, and we are often connected with new friends through trusted parties. We may occasionally interact with those outside our networks, but usually only in passing.