> If I'm reading conference papers, why would I worry about whether one of them is the product of review collusion?
Because the one you are reading may have crowded out a better one. Even if the current review system is essentially random, replacing it with something that is essentially a contest of well-connectedness is worse. Young researchers with good ideas but fewer connections, or people from less well-known institutions would have their ideas suppressed.
So you should be worrying about stagnation, and about not reading what might actually be new and exciting.
Because the one you are reading may have crowded out a better one. Even if the current review system is essentially random, replacing it with something that is essentially a contest of well-connectedness is worse. Young researchers with good ideas but fewer connections, or people from less well-known institutions would have their ideas suppressed.
So you should be worrying about stagnation, and about not reading what might actually be new and exciting.