4chan is not a single board -in fact, other boards are on a separate domain named 4channel-, the article primarily focuses on a specific board, /pol/, among few others. Rest of boards are normal discussion in different domains and niches, while the discussions there can get derailed and side way sometimes, it still better overall in my opinion than the the ones that hook you to brownie points and likes/upvotes, since it creates that echo chamber community in addition to the usual censorship in other social platforms.
Agreed. One good thread on /lit/ (in a sea of garbage, true) is worth more than months of any literature discussion on say, Twitter or Reddit. I understand not everyone want to sort through the trash but I don't mind.