When I fly, I am generally carrying expensive camera gear, which absolutely has to be stowed in an overhead compartment- because the airlines will not accept full liability for it if it goes missing or is damaged after going into the baggage hold. Since the airlines do not provide enough overhead capacity to nearly guarantee I will have access to an overhead bin if I board late, I will aggressively try to be at the front of whatever boarding group I am in.
Until I can stow valuable and fragile gear as checked bags with virtual certainty that I will get all of my gear back in fully working order after the flight, I will continue to try my damnedest to be at the front of my boarding group.