You're right, a question could be intrusive even on WhatsApp, but then, of course, those two people would know each other on a better level and questions are often answered in more conversational ways rather than being asked directly. It's called human interaction and communication. The better the relationship, the less need there is to ask direct questions.
Discord is shit, not at all secure and not controllable which is why I don't engage much there, those communities remind me of Yahoo Chat Rooms from back in the late 1990's, linear chats that no one can really follow. I didn't like them then and I don't now.
As for your questions, I guess that's stuff you can find easily enough on the internet, there's websites and all you could use to find out more relevant information; asking one person may give you an insular or skewed perspective only.
Hmm, I think it depends. There are groups which are really messy, but there are some which are more well managed. I guess it's similar to any social network, be it Facebook or Twitter, there are people who like it and ppl who dislike, for various reasons.
Yeah I understand where you are coming from. I do feel having a local perspective sometimes complements what I read on the mass media. Sometimes the media might not present all the facts or have their own set of bias or perhaps propaganda. Having multiple information sources can be a good thing.