Much like what Instagram is trying now (hiding other people's likes count) or this very platform, doing away with those metrics should help foster better conversations.
The concern mentioned in the excerpt from TFA was a perception by the people it spoke to that they had to self-censor in order not to be personally attacked in online discussion.
You make a good point but it seems like it is about something other than what the TFA excerpt describes.
TFA quoted by OP:
> participants talked about having to constantly run a cost-benefit analysis on participation in any online conversations, based on the likelihood that they would be attacked, merely for participation.
But it's also extremely egalitarian. Everyone is on the same, whether you be an old* or a new*.
I don't partake but I like to dive in and observe them. Fascinating, because as much as we'd like to deny it, 4chan is the whole spectrum of humanity.
Personally I think all content should be unfiltered and the people who cannot handle this, should learn it. Open discussion is difficult when you have to self-censor all the time. We have it so bad, there's even a bunch of words we're forbidden from using in filtered communities and it's sold as a good thing. Lots of ideas and opinions are also banned, which is really unfortunate. We tend to criticize China for exactly the same things that are completely normal for most of us. It's just that China bans different ideas.
Having a high tolerance for vulgarity and dank Nazi memes is not the same as having open discussion or tolerance for opposing points of view. People who rally behind sites like 4chan, Voat and Gab in the name of "free speech" just want to be able to shitpost hate in comfort without consequence - they want their own filter, not freedom, certainly not for anyone who disagrees with them.
I think it's a perfectly valid opinion on my part to consider this garbage and to not want its stench everywhere.
Not because I'm afraid to have my views challenged, or to be insulted, but because it shouldn't be my responsibility to have to turn every racist and bigot on the internet, particularly when opinions to the contrary abound and they could just as well educate themselves, and because it gets tiring to deal with this kind of nonsense all the time.
This isn't even true in my experience. Frankly, it's a reputation that helps to keep the riff raff out of the space. Chan communities are the best kept secret on the internet, in my opinion.
No, seriously, if you're a person who is not measuring what they're saying to see what the cost may be, you can expect attacks to come your way for your own carelessness, and it has nothing to do with your identity. Being able to gush at the mouth is not, in fact, a sign of privilege, but is rather more rope to hang yourself with.