Is it worth just considering that in 15 years of social media, the whole culture has changed and there isn't enough openness or trust for it to be an effect those values again? (the way it was the first time around)
The brief period when Twitter started was the start of a transition from a nerd-only internet to a general-use web. It was a single moment in time when everyone still felt open to internet socialization. Nowadays, niche interest and groups form insular groups the way they used to in the pre-internet days. The stuff I read on the more social HN threads could be interchangeably posted on IRC channels, Matrix rooms, or Mastodon posts. There's a more definite sense of "FOSS-y tech tribe" than I feel there used to be 15 years ago.
In that, it's just a return to form. Nerd groups were often niche groups in the past and now that everyone is on the web, they have returned to being niche groups. It is sad that we lost a brief moment of openness, when groups were interested in cross-pollinating. But it was just a moment in time, a mere blip in the development of social culture, rather than a lasting change.
I suppose we shouldn't feed either one but right now "the algorithm" is the bigger threat. I mean, I can usually get a troll to work for me with a bit of patience and perseverance... algorithms? They'll only work for me if it's profitable for someone else. It's so soulless.
But your post is pretty typical of the viewpoint you see in these technical circles. I know some non-technical small business owners and while dealing with "the algorithm" can be stressful, many of them respect the power of the algorithm to generate awareness of their products. That's what I mean. Niche spaces online have become tribal and niche just like they used to be when they were offline. The brief open period of the web was just the time period when the old ingroup was joined by everyone else.