I know that many of the long time posters here remember the better part of two decades of posting prior to the more restrictive rules in P&E/GD, but it’s been that way since I began posting rather than hiding in the shadows.
One of the key changes in moderation in these forums from the late @Jonathan_Chance was specifically to combat hijacks:
Hijacks. This is, perhaps, the single largest and most important change to the rules in Great Debates and Politics and Elections made in 2020. Staying on topic is a strong goal of Great Debates and Politics and Elections moving forward. Threads exist for a reason. Presumably, the original poster wants to discuss a specific topic. Posts which pull the thread away from that topic are hijacks. Some of these are inadvertent, some are not. Posts that seem intended to steer a discussion away from the original topic may be sanctioned. Hijacks may be, but are not limited to, posts that lead away from a topic, endless questioning, repeatedly asking the same or similar questions once they’ve been answered, and other maneuvers. Whether or not such is occurring is at the sole discretion of the moderation staff and may lead to official sanction.
I’m posting this because it has so much bearing on the OP here, at least for P&E/GD. At least, I assume (perhaps incorrectly) this is the change in frequency you’re referring to.
ETA - I knew we’d had a semi-recent discussion on this, here’s the link:
My opinion (pre-moderator) in that thread is largely unchanged. In GD/P&E, a few individual off topic posts aren’t a huge problem, but past that, especially on hot button topics, they quickly take over the thread. It’s especially noticeable and frustrating to me (as a reader and mod) when it happens despite multiple notes to curb such hijacks.
And, while some people would like a looser style, it seems nearly as many prefer the tighter moderation so they can get new info rather than endless repeats of Trump memes, jokes, or Pit like rants, such as @Pleonast’s comment upthread.