Agreed.
One of the things I picked up on during years of studying the psychology of introverts vs. extraverts is that introverts "think inside" before saying anything... while extraverts "go off" because they use external dialogue as much the same thinking process. We introverts tend to think of it as "needless blabbing" but it serves a similar organizational purpose to our own internal dialogue. We just don't like to talk before we have formulated an actual cohesive idea... at least that holds true for me.
Undoubtedly, we will get our share of spammers and scammers, and it might be even worse this time, since mass-market AI "became a thing" since we last played this music in 2021.
A.I. is a double-edged sword for sure.
I also dislike the tendency of internet discussion to devolve into insults and strawman arguments. A text-basee forum where I can consider my response and present links to the evidence I use to form my opinions is especially preferable for me. I think it's another reason I embrace our forum format over short-form content or other efforts to duplicate Facebook with its ephemeral posts and short attention span feed.
My wife and I occasionally sit and talk about the rudeness and almost violent nature of people in arguments online. We have long since come to the conclusion that for MANY people "winning the argument" is actually more important than whether or not the outcome is just or right.
I get into arguments when I'm pretty sure I have facts and reasoning on my side, but I still try to treat my opponents with a measure of respect. Obvious example: I used to be extremely nationalistic in the sense of "America is right, immigrants are dangerous, and war is just." My views have shifted in large part because others actually challenged my arguments instead of attacking me, forcing me to examine my premises and preconceptions.
In contrast, I was literally just told downvoting vote-farming spam comments was equivalent to rape, arson, and murder. I was somehow guilty of war crimes because I noticed something weird and chose a response they didn't like.
Sad reflection on a growing part of the human species, it seems. You become "the bad guy" when you point out that someone is engaging in sketchy behavior. And often, the complaint is wrapped up as "interfering with someone's freedom."
It's one of the places I often end up locking horns with with a particular "subspecies" of Libertarians and Anarcho-Capitalists.
I hope I'm not part of that subspecies. Liberty is reciprocal, and just because you hav ethe right to act a certain way, that doesn't mean it's right to do it. I have every right to flip off and curse out anyone I meet on the sidewalk, but that would make me quite the unwelcome individual. I have the right to never tip anyone. The tipping system in America is a weird tradition anyway. But it's also not cool to mistreat underpaid servers.