This is Heyuri, so I understand most of us either lived through an age of internet that was passable or learned through Heyuri of what the internet used to be, and as such we understand that 4chan and the internet as a whole "went to shit" much farther back than 2020 or 2016 or 2006. I'm willing to give OP the benefit of the doubt that they know this well, too. But seriously, if you haven't gone onto 4chan for a while, I implore you to take a look at /b/ or something. It's the worst it could ever possibly be. I'm pretty sure it's just the same dozen robots fighting amongst themselves and a few real people engage with it out of boredom, all the while potentially interesting threads are either ignored or derailed by the robots a few posts in. The swine are offered cake and choose to eat shit.

Even four years ago I could go on something like /vr/ and talk about a game or something, without much fuss. A few people were left to know when to not engage with a shitstirrer. Knowing when not to engage is what makes a community of any kind live, and 4chan has nobody that knows how anymore.

I hope Heyuri as a whole learns from 4chan in that regard. Someone will always be there to offer you shit, you can't help that, but it is up to you to choose the cake.