I believe they turn into those cesspools because only people that feel outside of mainstream networks due to bans and stuff, end up there.

It would be a different scenario if it was the big network that supported free speech instead of a new ban reactionary network

Is gab really a “cesspool”? I just looked at it for the first time. The way people talk about it I was expecting /pol/ squared, but the parts I could see without making an account seemed surprisingly normie, more reminiscent of instapundit than Stormfront.

Free speech includes things people may not want to hear, plus the definition of hate speech is a constantly moving target.