Rather than not being negative about this, I think I have personally gained more than I have lost. I don't surround myself with yes men. I'm speaking only on my own behalf here but I have been drawn to disagreement online perhaps to a fault. I'm not talking about personal conflicts but debating and questioning ideas countless time where that was futile to begin with.
How good these changes you're describing are is heavily dependent on personality. I enjoy exchanging ideas with people and the world before the Internet was incredibly impoverished compared to what it is like today. I only knew a handful of people to have interesting conversations with. Quite astonishingly, Steem made it possible for those exchanges to even capture financial value. If someone had told me 25 years ago that such a thing were possible, I would've taken that person for a lunatic.
But I agree that you have a valid point in that when you have to put with another person's company continously due to a lack of options, there will be times when you're going to have to tell them they're a dick and vice versa.
I would say, though, that there are plenty of situations between friends where no amount of skill at interpersonal relationships will fix things. For example, when it comes clear that a friend of yours is frequently being a dick in small ways and there are reasons to believe this is because of their own issues (very likely envy), then how are you going to bring that up constructively?
Me too, but everyone would claim this, no matter their actual results. :D
Me either, yet again, everyone would claim this, right?
I wonder what the opportunity cost is, arguing with someone online in futility, or helping someone locally that appreciates it?
25 years later, most of the world still agrees with you ;D
The internet makes it easy to walk away - reality doesn't. If it was so easy to walk away in society, I wonder if we would have ever progressed as a species at all.
Perhaps it is their personality, as a friend, do you mention it, but accept it? Do you walk away if nothing changes? I know one person who is a dick and hasn't got any long-term friends - but is socially capable to make more. He is in his 50s and spends a lot of time with strangers - but often feels lonely. There is something valuable in having people who know you close. Perhaps the hardwiring is an extension of the family wiring to build the intimacy for a community.