I've felt one massive problem with most social media is that they are single-threaded and globally public by default, so every interaction turns into a public p

I've felt one massive problem with most social media is that they are single-threaded and globally public by default, so every interaction turns into a public performance. Compare that with a small web forum, where there was a small barrier to entry, but a larger barrier to virality. People recognise the regulars, and the mods are in conversation with the community, and you tended to get more human interactions between people.