I view my presence as mostly transactional here. I read posted content, I read comments, I sometimes comment and have exchanges like this. But aside from a little dopamine hit from getting a few upvotes, my emotional investment here is limited.

I don’t have professional or personal connections here (though I know a few members irl) and this is not part of my permanent digital identity— I don’t have one of those, for a few reasons. Others do it differently, and I think the risk of HN going bad is low, so I understand the risk they are taking.

This is a mall - a publically open space privately owned by others - not a true public square. It’s better than x, fb, etc. in part because the private ownership is mostly used for good (strong moderation) rather than for obvious bad.